Prophecy
by Dragoncl
Summary: The attack on Whirlpool came fast and hard, leaving few survivors. But was it just an act of war, or is something else brewing behind the enemy's attacks? Book 1 of the Oracle trilogy. Complete!
1. Destruction

**Author's Note:** Hello! I'm still working on Guardian's Guardian, I've just had this on my computer for a while and decided to post it. Hope you enjoy it! Naruto beongs to Masashi Kishimoto.

Chapter 1 Destruction

A bead of sweat, achingly slow, slid down her cheek. Chin-length crimson hair stuck to her cheeks, matted down by sweat, mud, and blood. Green eyes stared ahead of her in determination, though they drooped from time to time. Exhaustion rolled off her in waves. Chakra levels near depletion, stomach empty of any nutrition for the longest time, and body threatening to give up on her and shut down, the only thing keeping her going was the will and drive to protect her home and its people.

The girl's body sent a jolt of pain to her brain as she landed on the next branch, telling her to quit now before she got herself killed. Her brain however had given up on trying to reason with her and had started to cut off the signals her body was so desperately giving. She couldn't agree more with its decision. Cuts, ranging from minor scratches that didn't even break the skin to gashes that gushed blood down her limbs, and bruises peppered every inch of visible skin. The once bright orange tank-top was now turning a vile rust color and was shredded beyond imagining. The charcoal-grey pants were ripped and torn and had, somewhere along the line, become shorts. The headband she had worked so hard to get several years ago had been dropped during an ambush a long time ago, left to rust some where in the vast forest.

Her muddy hand flew to her mouth as coughs racked her body. The redhead landed and kneeled on a branch, waiting for the coughs to subside. Smoke from the many fires dotting the area made her eyes water and irritated her lungs. Mentally cursing herself for getting careless, she ripped a relatively clean swatch of the top to cover her mouth. She took a deep breath and almost gagged at the pungent smell of dried mud, sweat, and blood.

The branch hitched slightly as someone landed beside her. A kunai was instantly in her hand and directed toward the person. "Calm down Kushina. It's me." Through the smoke she could see the black braided hair of her sensei. Pale blue eyes blinked back at her as they focused on the weapon in the girl's hand.

"Sorry Sensei. This smoke is a pain to see through." Her voice was slightly muffled by the cloth but she was sure the man could hear her. An explosion rocked the ground and heat blasted through the trees. Her sensei turned from her and stared ahead of them as if seeing past all the smoke and trees to where the main sections of the armies clashed. His blue eyes flashed as they turned back to her, scrutinizing her bloodied state.

"You should go back to the village. Get some rest and medical attention. You've been out here for three days. You're at your limit. The reinforcements from Konoha should be here soon anyway. You're not helping us by working yourself to death. " The redhead fiercely shook her head and scowled. "That's an order Kushina."

"Forget it sensei. I'm not leaving until this is finished! We don't have enough shinobi as it is. No way in hell am I going to run! Giving up is for cowards and I'll kill anyone who dares call me a coward." Before her sensei could retaliate, she had leapt off the branch and stretched her weary senses for signs of fighting. Her sensei's presence joined her and he directed her toward the battleground.

"You always were too headstrong for your own good." Black hair flew as he shook his head. "Stay close to me. Watch out for any hidden traps. We've lost to many to them already." She nodded but the worried expression on the man's face didn't disappear. "Just be careful okay?"They finished the journey to the fight in comfortable silence which was soon disrupted by the sounds of struggle.

The sounds of battle were nothing new to the teen. Actually, during the last three days of the onslaught, they had become increasingly familiar. Screams of pain, surprise, and anguish drowned out the decreasing shouted orders. Explosions destroyed the ground as exploding tags flew through the air, taking allies and foes with it. The distinct sound of shuriken and kunai hitting wood and flesh dotted the noise. Trees creaked as they fell and pounded on the upturned earth. Blood pooled in the grass and turned it a dark shade. Bodies lay strewn across the forest floor, dead or dying.

As soon as they approached the battlefield, the teacher and student could tell that the battle was swaying to the enemy's advantage. With a quick calculation, Kushina guessed there were six enemy nin to every Whirlpool shinobi. The odds didn't look good. Hopefully the reinforcements would arrive soon, or Whirlpool wasn't going to survive this attack. One of the attacking shinobi detected them as they landed and instantly intercepted them.

Another joined him and moved to attack her sensei. Kunai whooshed past her cheek as she dodged. She was surprised at the man's speed. From the looks of him, you wouldn't guess he was a shinobi. He was tall and ragged with a potbelly. His hair was grey and stringy and fell in front of his face in mats. Yellow eyes stared at her as a lecherous smile pulled at his thin lips and revealed crooked teeth. "My, my. What do we have here?" His voice grated against her ears even over the background noise. "A little girly?" He laughed at some unknown joke and licked his lips. "You're lucky little girl. I think I might let you live and then have some fun with you after we take over your pitiful village."

Anger flared inside her and shuriken found their way to her hand. She released them and rushed toward the heavy man. He easily dodged the weapons and returned the favor with a few of his own. She twirled around them and extended her fist, connecting with the ugly man's face. He flew back a few feet, blood trickling from a bit lip. Her thin and calloused hands quickly formed the needed signs for the Shadow Clone Jutsu. In a burst of smoke, two copies flanked her as she closed the distance between herself and the other shinobi.

A grin crossed the opponent's face as he ducked under the punches and stabbed two kunai into the clones attacking him. He crouched and swung his leg behind her calf. Landing on her hands, the redhead flipped and kicked out with her foot. He caught the limb and brought his elbow down onto her joint. Her body cried out in protest at the abuse, and her knee cracked under the pressure. Biting down on her lip, to keep from screaming in pain, she twisted her leg out of his grasp and fell to the ground.

Pain shot through her leg as she moved. It was no use. She couldn't move it. Her opponent seemed to realize this as the same perverted smile spread over his face. "Looks like this is the end girly. There's noone left to save you." He reached down toward her chest and she tried to wriggle out of his reach.

A shuriken flew through the air and ripped trough the lecher's extended arm. He roared in pain and glared across the area. Her sensei stood there arm, extended from his throw. A smile began to pull at her lips. Movement caught her eye from the trees behind the black-haired man. "Sensei behind you!"The warning came to late though as a windmill shuriken sliced into his stomach. The smile disappeared and was replaced by shock. The weapon protruded from the man's stomach and blood gushed from the wound. Unsatisfied, the shinobi hidden in the trees jumped down and cleanly dragged a knife through her sensei's neck. The decapitated head fell to the floor and the body stood standing for a moment more before it collapsed on the ground.

Tears threatened to spill out of her green eyes as she gazed in horror at the scene. No. Not her sensei. Not the man who was more of a father to her than her biological father was. Not the man who had taken her under his wing after her mother died and taught her everything he knew. The world seemed to stop as she watched the blood pool around the corpse. Whirlpool was losing. They were down to maybe ten shinobi while the enemy was boasting at least five times that number now. They had lost. Unless some miracle happened, the village would fall.

A hand broke her from her reverie. Gritting her teeth as the huge hand wrapped around her throat, she glared at the ugly man. Even if the village was going to fall, she was going to die fighting. She had to avenge her sensei's death. His death would not be in vain. The world would remember the Whirlpool village as a strong town that didn't give up even when the odds where against them if she had anything to say about it.

"Back off dickhead before I kill you." The man chuckled and slammed her back against one of the few trees that had survived the battle. Her back creaked at the movement and her head connected with a sharp knock.

"I like them feisty! Always makes it so much fun." He closed the distance and moved his mouth over hers. Her eyes widened and she struggled against his grip. Biting her lip hard enough to draw blood, she moved her good leg to kick out at him. He quickly stopped it by pressing his thigh against it, and as much as she hated to admit it, men were naturally stronger than women, which made her escape near impossible. His free hand found its way to her waist and slid under her ruined shirt. She shivered at the feel of his clammy hands against her skin.

Unable to do anything else, she opened her mouth and bit down on his lip, hard. He pulled away in surprise and she took the chance to place a well-aimed kick. The man howled and bent over. "You little bitch! I'll kill you." His hand tightened considerably around her windpipe, cutting her off from any oxygen. This was it. She was going to die here, at the hands of her would-be rapist. Her hands clawed at his hand, but he didn't seem affected by her short nails. A sadistic grin replaced the lecherous one and it scared her. He was enjoying this! Watching her struggle for air and wriggling pathetically against him. "Well I guess this is goodbye girly. One last parting gift though." he leaned forward and dragged his slimy tongue across her cheek to her ear. "To bad. You're a fine bitch."

The last of her oxygen was running out and her face was probably turning some interesting colors now. Her mouth gapped like a fish out of water as she tried to get air into her deflated lungs. Darkness swam at the edges of her vison and made it blurry. Her eyes closed as her heart finally slowed.

The hand was wrenched from her neck in an instant and she dropped to the ground like a rag-doll. Air rushed back to her lungs as she inhaled. Coughs racked her body so hard, she couldn't support her weight. She lay there on the mud and blood covered grass, gasping oxygen back into her system. Spots flickered in her vision and the shapes and colors blended together. Her stomach heaved and she winced at the taste of acid, the only thing left in her stomach. Lifting her head, she blinked to adjust her vision and see what had happened to her attacker.

Bodies lay thrown across the ground. Fifteen shinobi stood, albeit shakily and wearily in the center. She recognized five of them as jounins from her village. The other ten wore different headbands and were helping the five out of the clearing. One of the foreign nin turned to six of the others and motioned toward the area. "Check for survivors. When Namikaze is done ridding the surrounding area of the Stone nin tell him to help out here." The man left with the surviving Whirlpool shinobi.

The six remaining shinobi began to shuffle through the bodies, checking for signs of life. One called out as they found someone and they reported the find over their radios. She tried to move or call out, but her body had given up on her and refused to cooperate. Exhaustion hit her full stride and she felt her eyelids begin to droop. "Are you alright?"

Her eyes shot open, her survival instincts driving adrenaline into her veins. She lifted her head as her body went tense.

She couldn't help but gape. She really couldn't. Leaning down in front of her in the standard Konoha jounin garb was the infamous Yellow Flash, blood splattered over his face and clothes. Fear gripped her heart and she fought to keep it off her face. She could tell she had failed though- she had never been very good at concealing her emotions, preferring to blurt what she was thinking or feeling- from the confused look on her face. He held up his hands as if to show he had no weapons. Not that it mattered. This was Konoha's Yellow Flash. Everyone had been given the order to flee on sight, whether ally or foe. His ferocity and skill in battle was legendary. This man didn't need weapons to kill her, especially as weak as she was now.

"Don't worry I won't hurt you," he chuckled and smiled sheepishly. "I'm one of the good guys."

"Those Stone nin thought they were the good guys too and they went and attacked our village." If she could she would have smacked herself. She had just mouthed off the Yellow Flash. She was so dead. He didn't seem to mind though as he shrugged.

"True. I'm here to take you to our camp for medical attention though. I have no desire to invade your village." He looked over to the group of Konoha shinobi and motioned for one to help him. He turned back to face her, concerned blue eyes scrutinizing her. "Are you alright? He didn't hurt you did he? Can you walk?" The redhead went back to gapping. So this was the man that had saved her. Processing his question she shook her head. Blond brows furrowed as he leaned over and lightly touched her shoulder.

"Here. I'll help you up and then we can have our medics look at you." With his assistance, she managed to sit up, the weight off of her broken knee. The man in front of her smiled encouragingly down at her. She knew she must look a wreak with her shirt torn and messed up, her pants near to gone, hair in disarray, and blood and mud covering most of her body. Her vision swam again as a sense of vertigo overtook her senses. Her face must have given her away because the man reached out and steadied her with his arm around her waist.

The shinobi the blond man had called over reached them and laughed. "Stay focused Namikaze. You can flirt with the girls when we get back to Konoha." The redhead's face warmed at the remark as did the man's. Namikaze swiped at his companion and began to remove the vest he was wearing. Handing it too her he smiled sheepishly again.

"Here put this on until we can get something else." She gratefully accepted it and quickly slipped it over her ruined shirt. It was big on her and felt uncomfortable with parts of her torn shirt pressed against her skin in clumps, but it was better than nothing. The Yellow Flash had stood and was offering her a hand. Not willing to appear weak in front of her savior, she ignored the hand and pushed herself to her feet. Her body however decided that standing was too much and it would rest with or without her consent. She felt herself fall into warm arms as darkness overtook her.


	2. Pains

**Author's Note:** Hi! Sorry that the first chapter was a little generic, I'll be getting to the plot in the next chapter I promise.

I don't own Naruto or any of the characters.

Chapter 2 Pains

Nothing. She couldn't feel anything. The pain and exhaustion she had expected didn't course through her body and leave her wishing she was dead or unconscious. In fact, she felt warm and comfortable. Intrigued, her eyes slowly peeled open.

Green cloth hung above on poles and string and sloped down to the ground by her cot. A tent. And a large one at that. More cots were arranged in neat rows, bodies wrapped in fresh bandages and tucked under blankets. Medic-nin scurried across the expanse of the tent, tending to people and bringing reports. The smell of antiseptics and disinfectants reach her nose and made her wince. She hated hospitals. There was no way a place that smelled so clean and was so white should exist. At least this place was a light shade of green.

The redhead tried to sit up, but cursed when her wounds made themselves known. "So I guess you finally decided to wake up." She whipped around at the voice, hand instinctively reaching for her missing weapon pouch. The man seemed to notice this and smiled. "Sorry. Weapons aren't allowed in here. For obvious reasons of course."

He was average height, no taller than 5'9'. His bronze hair was windswept and fell into his eyes and over his ears. His amber eyes lit up with his smile and wrinkles formed around them. He wore the standard shinobi pants but had altered them into shorts. He had a white short-sleeved shirt on with a blue jacket over it. His headband was loose around his neck and shifted every time he moved. He had bandages wrapped around his wrists and calves but she figured they were more for support than because he was wounded.

"Where am I?" The man laughed and walked over to a table where several files were placed. He selected one and sat on the end of her bed and opened it, careful not to sit on her feet. Frustrated at being laughed at and ignored, she scrunched up her face growled. "Don't just ignore me you punk! Where am I and who the hell are you?"

The brunette turned toward her and chuckled. "Sorry. Noone told me you had a temper," he said in wonder. Shrugging, returned back to the folder. "But then I guess we couldn't really tell when you've been playing sleeping beauty since you got here. I'll make sure to warn the others." Blood rushed to face, turning her vision red and her fists clenched. She opened her mouth to retort when another voice interrupted her.

"Ryou what did I tell you about terrorizing the patients?" The man turned to face the speaker and grinned.

"Terrorizing? Me? Come now Lady Tsunade. I was merely talking to the girl. No harm do..." A wrapped fist connected with his face and he toppled off the bed. The newcomer, Lady Tsunade, looked shocked and turned to get a better view of the boy's attacker.

The girl turned to face the Legendary Sennin. She was dressed in the usual Konoha shinobi outfit. Her blond hair was pulled back into twin ponytails that cascaded down her back, and she had the customary headband on her forehead. Over all she looked eerily normal, nothing like how Kushina thought one of the Legendary Sennin would look.

"Nice hook. We need more kunoichi. Especially ones who aren't afraid to stand up for themselves, but I would appreciate it if you would not hit my medics, we are shorthanded as it is." The woman walked around the bed and took the paperwork from the man who was moaning on the floor. Flipping through it, she glanced up at the redhead in the bed. "No life-threatening damage. A few deep cuts and bruises, but nothing serious. Your knee was fractured, but it's healing well. You won't be able to train for a while and walking will be hard for a few days. Healing fractures and broken bones takes longer than normal even for medic-nins like me. If you don't do it right, you can cause more harm than good. So any questions...?" She paused as she searched for the girl's name on the file.

"Kushina. Kushina Uzumaki." Tsunade looked up and nodded, adding the name to the blank slot in the file. Ryou chose this moment to sit up and glared at the redhead.

"Damn girl! You hit almost as hard as Lady Tsunade." He clutched his head and winced. Facing the blond, he smiled sheepishly. "I guess you took care of everything here." He blinked and looked at the older woman curiously. "Why are you here anyway? Aren't you in charge over at the Critical Condition section?"

Gold eyes glared at the man. "I can go where I want Ryou. But since you asked, Minato asked me to look up on the girl for him." A knowing smirk crept over Ryou's face and his eyes lit up at some unknown joke. The blond just scowled at him and shooed him away. "Now get back to your job brat. We don't have enough manpower for you to be lallygagging." The man nodded and turned to leave, looking over his shoulder as he did so.

"So I guess what they say is true about redheads and their tempers, I'll have to warn the rest of the crew." He was gone before Kushina could retaliate with another well-aimed punch. The blond held her down with a hand on her shoulder, meeting the redhead's eyes with a stern expression.

"Don't overexert yourself. I didn't heal you just so you could hurt yourself doing something stupid." Looking back into the medic's eyes with fire in her eyes, she wriggled out of the blankets.

"I can't stay here. I need to move," she cracked her knuckles as she look at the direction the brunette had gone, " and maybe punch something while I'm at it. I'll be stir crazy within the hour if I don't stretch my muscles. They feel like I haven't moved in a week." Tsunade's expression didn't change, but she stood up and nodded.

"Alright girl. Just for a little while. I'll get you some cloths. Don't go past the tree line. We're still trying to figure out who's here. We don't need people wandering around. And don't overexert yourself!" She left and a nurse brought over a pile of clothing a minute later. Someone had recently changed her bandages as they were free of any blemishes and were tightly wrapped so her clothes easily hid the cloth. She had been given a loose grey shirt with loose black shorts. The shoes she had been given, like everything else, were to big so she skipped those, deciding to go barefoot. The nurse brought her over to a place she could change, careful to make sure not to jar any of injuries. Walking was painful and her knee threatened to give out as she put weight on it, but her legs screamed for movement.

The sun felt good on her skin, having been inside and under the shade of the forest had deprived her of sunlight for the last few days. The day was perfect, the total opposite of the girl's mood. Clear skies were colored a pale azure and the yellow sun sharply contrasted with it. A small wind gently played with her chin length hair and rustled the leaves of the surrounding forest.

The field the Konoha nin had decided to make camp at was once a training ground. She had trained here several times before the attack and knew the terrain well. She set off in the direction of one of the small waterfalls in the area, hoping for some privacy and time to collect her thoughts. Her feet crushed the soft grass as she walked, tickling the bottoms. Tents had been erected in small groups across the large plain and blocked her path several times. Shinobi gathered in groups gossiping and planning search parties. She went relatively unnoticed though as she made her way to the far side of the grounds.

Though still within the major boundaries of the camp, the waterfall was hidden in a small alcove of trees thick enough to hide it from anyone who happened to pass by. She ducked into the shade of the trees and trod into the heart of the woods. The ground sunk down about 20 feet, the slope slight and easy for her leg. A boulder jutted out of the slope and into the pond. Several other rocks of different sizes were scattered around the pond, partially shielding it from view. Water cascaded down the large boulder, fed by a small stream that had broken through the stone.

Hobbling down the slope and passing the incomplete wall of rock, she settled down by the water's edge. The mist moistened her skin and clothing. Most of the blood, sweat, and mud had been washed off, probably when the medic-nin had healed her, but she could still feel the grim on her. Oh, what she would give for a warm bath! She scooted forward and submerged her feet.

"It's nice isn't it?" She twisted around and glared at the speaker. This was her spot. Why was _he_here? She bit her tongue when she saw the yellow hair and cerulean blue yes. Green eyes quickly examined him for any threat, and her eyes widened as they landed on his hand. A kunai? This was why you were told to run when you saw the Yellow Flash. He was too unpredictable to trust. Her knee throbbed as she faced him. She wasn't in the shape to fight, but she would if she had to. Her fingers flew together as she built up her chakra. He saw her and moved to stop her. "Wait! No!"

"Water Vortex Jutsu!" The water beside her began to swirl. The newly created vortex leapt out of the pool and lunged at the man. Blue eyes widened as he tossed the kunai in her direction, though it missed by two feet. As the water crashed down on him, there was a shimmer of yellow and the man disappeared.

Senses detecting the blond's presence, Kushina was too slow to stop the strong arms from holding her arms close to her body and keeping her mouth shut. Visions of the lecherous Stone nin flashed past her eyes and she struggled as much as his arms would allow. "Please calm down! I'm not trying to hurt you!" The Yellow Flash hissed in her ear, his hot breath making her shiver. Since it worked last time, she followed instinct and opened her mouth as wide as she could, biting down on his palm.

He cursed and instantly released her. She fell forward and rolled out of his reach. The Yellow Flash held his hand, looking at the bleeding teeth marks in his skin. "I don't care who you are or what your reputation is! I'm going to show you I'm not some weak little girl you can push around. In fact, the name Kushina Uzumaki will go down in the books as the person who beat the famous Yellow Flash!"

"Please calm down and listen to me," he begged. "You're injured. I don't want to hurt you." The redhead scoffed.

"Like you can!" Her outward appearance never changed, but her brain was screaming at her for her stupidity. This was they guy who had evaded her attack like it was nothing. The man's eyebrow rose at the unspoken challenge.

She quickly went through the hand signs again and conjured another vortex. The blond bent down and grabbed the kunai he had thrown earlier.

The vortex swooped to the left, attacking him from his right. It skimmed over the grass and toward its target as if it was conscious of its actions. The man rolled forward and mid-roll flung the weapon at her. She jumped backward to avoid the knife and felt her back connect with one of the boulders. There was another flash and the man was standing in front of her, kunai at her throat. A small trickle of blood dribbled down her neck.

"Now are you ready to listen?" She looked up into his eyes and saw the concern and guilt behind the blue orbs. Glaring in defiance but not struggling, the weapon was removed from her neck. Her injuries and exhaustion finally caught up with her and she slid to the ground.

The man kneeled down in front of her. Her eyes met his and she was mesmerized how expressive they were. Shinobi often locked their emotions away, with the work they did it was better not to be able to feel anything. However it wasn't as easy as it sounded and many shinobi went insane after the stress of holding back their emotions got to them. To find eyes that showed so much emotion, especially on a shinobi as esteemed as the Yellow Flash, was rare. Most of the more powerful shinobi came off as cold and distant. The more powerful, the more they see, and the more they lock it away so they don't lose their sanity.

"I'm sorry about earlier. I didn't expect anyone to be here." He rubbed his neck sheepishly and grinned. "I didn't expect to have to get into a fight either." Kushina tilted her head to the side. Was this guy for real? There was no way this guy was sane. He was too innocent and carefree to be one of the top killers in the war.

"Who are you? There's no way you can be Konoha's Yellow Flash." The question seemed to take him by surprise. His brows came to together in confusion before a blush crossed his cheeks.

"Sorry. My name's Minato Namikaze. Nice to meet you." He held out his hand which she hesitantly shook. His grasp was strong and his palm was calloused from innumerable battles and training. "I guess you could call me the Yellow Flash, but I prefer Minato." His eyes redirected to her leg and his face scrunched up in concern. "How's your leg? I didn't hurt it again did I?" She scoffed and smirked.

"I told you. I'm not some pathetic weakling. You're just lucky I'm injured, otherwise I'd have kicked your ass!" The Yellow Flash, no, Minato chuckled and she felt her temper flare. "What's so funny? Is it because I'm a girl? Huh? You'll see! As soon I'm healed I'll beat your sorry ass so bad you won't be able to sit for a week!" The blonde chuckled again and stood up.

"I'll take you up on that offer Uzumaki- san." He grinned and stood, offering her a hand. Whether from pride or distrust she ignored it and carefully pushed herself from the moist ground. The blonde's hand fell limply back to his side, his brows together in spite. "Come on. We should have Tsunade look at your knee. Just for precaution." A scowl pulled at her lips.

"I'm fine! It takes a lot more than that to hurt me. Why can't you get it through it your thick skull?" Someone chuckled and the two teens spun around to greet the new arrival. Kushina felt her temper flare at the sight of the annoying medic from before.

"Sorry Namikaze. Seems I didn't get to you in time. I was going to warn you about her. Got a temper like a dragon that one does." Ryou strolled casually down the slope, choosing to ignore the death glare sent his way. "Should've known she'd be with you though. When are ya going to tell me how you're such a chick-magnet huh? Whoa!" The brunette yelped as a fist flew over his head. The redhead let loose a scream of frustration as she kicked out with her uninjured leg, her wounded knee shaking from the extra weight.

The medic-nin scurried away from the foot and over to where the blonde stood in surprise at the sudden attack. "Told you." Minato shot a disapproving look at the man next to him and sighed. He felt the girl move closer for another attack.

He turned and caught the moving fist in his palm, hiding the wince. She was strong for someone so scrawny. Meeting Kushina's eyes he chuckled. "I take it you've met before huh?"

"Oh, we've met."

"I've got the bruise to prove it." The girl growled and moved to hit him again. The brunette moved behind the Yellow Flash and smiled angelically at the raging girl. "I only came to see if you were alright! Even if I was forced to, its my job to take care of my patients." Minato dodged below the swing and sent a scowl at the medic.

"Bull! More like its your job to annoy them." She made another move to attack but the blond stepped in between them. He grabbed her wrists in his palm and struck out with his other. Before she could dodge it, his hand contacted with a pressure point on her neck and the world began to darken. She glared at the apologetic smile he sent her and cursed him to hell as she lost consciousness.

--

She felt cold. Hollow. Empty. The sun shined brightly down on her but did nothing to uplift her mood. To her, the world might as well have ended. In fact, she was pretty sure it had.

Her eyes stung but she refused to let the tears fall. _A shinobi must not show emotion_. That was the rule, but she had never been one for following rules either. Wiping furiously at the offending drops, she glanced around at her surroundings.

The Village hidden in the Whirlpool had been destroyed, completely and utterly destroyed. The cavern the village had been located in was starting to cave-in. The docks leading out to the ocean lay in shambles, wood and pieces of boats lying scattered by the high-tide mark. No building had been left intact. They lay scattered across the streets, lone walls laying testament to what had once been her home. Everything was gone. Only the fresh blood smeared on the ground showed that this had been a thriving village only a week before.

"Miss Uzumaki?" She looked up at the jounin standing a few yards from where she had sat, the extent of the devastation overwhelming her. "Miss Uzumaki, we should report back to the camp soon. Lady Tsunade instructed you to return after an hour. We shouldn't keep her waiting." Kushina felt like screaming at him to 'shut the hell up', but her voice seemed to have been stolen along with her wits.

Why had she asked to come here? She had only woken up four days ago, she wasn't ready for this. When she had woken up, making sure to let the two idiotic boys know just what she thought about them knocking her unconscious, she had demanded that she be allowed to visit her village. After some negotiating, Tsunade had assented and assigned a guard to make sure she 'didn't let her stupidity get the better of her'. She had talked to the villagers that had survived the attack and knew it wasn't good, but she had needed to see it with her own eyes. What had all their fighting been for? Was her sensei and teammates' deaths for nothing?

The jounin who had escorted her here shifted and looked toward the entrance to the cavern. She heard someone walk across the stones littering the ground and the man greet whoever had arrived. At the moment she didn't care. Someone came behind her and sat next to her on the broken wall.

"Sitting here and wallowing in your misery isn't going to do anything. Its not going to change what happened, and its not going to bring them back. So suck it up." The redhead straightened and turned angrily toward her companion.

"What the hell do you know anyway? My entire village was wiped out as if we were nothing but insignificant insects! I don't care if it won't do anything! I'll sit here and die for all I care!" Lady Tsunade faced her, anger burning in her eyes.

"Do you honestly think you're the only one you is suffering? There are shinobi and villagers at the camp who are all going through the exact same thing you are! You're not the only one who lost someone in this war!" The woman's hand unconsciously went to the necklace handing around her neck. Her voice quieted but did not loose any of its assertion as she looked over the destruction. "I know how it feels to lose someone dear to you Uzumaki. I know the pain and emptiness you feel, like life doesn't have a meaning or reason anymore. It shows how strong a shinobi is when they can put the past behind them and move on with their lives."

The redhead's gaze softened at the woman's tone and hunched over, kicking a pebble away and sighing. "Why do you care? Why single me out?" The blond scoffed and stood up, silently signaling for the jounin to return.

"Don't get your hopes up girl. I moved on and found more precious people. They don't fill the void, but they gave me a reason to keep going. I'm checking up on you because you are my patient and as a favor to one of my precious people." She turned to leave but stopped and smiled. "You've also got potential. I'm not about to let someone destroy themselves when they can live and make the deaths they mourn mean something." With that, the Sennin left, her golden hair swinging behind her with each step.

Turning back to the village, Kushina frowned and prodded at the ground with her foot, absently scratching at the splint around her knee. She lost track of time as she thought, her talk with the blond Sennin replaying in her mind. _It shows how strong a shinobi is when they can put the past behind them and move on with their lives... I'm not about to let someone destroy themselves when they can live and make the deaths they mourn mean something._

It was an hour later when she finally stood , fire burning in her green eyes.


	3. Rivalry

Hi everyone. Thanks so much for the reviews. I wrote these chapters awhile ago so please tell me if I messed something up or something doesn't make sense so I can fix it. I quickly reread them so there shouldn't be a problem, but just in case I missed something. I'll probably be rewriting the rest so the updates will definitely be coming slower than they have. I would love to update every day, but I don't think I have the attention span.

Naruto doesn't belong to be (yet)

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Chapter 3

Rivalry

With a smirk placed firmly on her face, the redhead shoved her hands into the pockets of her ochre colored jacket. It had been a week since the refugees had arrived in Konoha. Most of them, including the redhead though she would never admit it, had been amazed at the mere size of the village. Kushina had spent the last week mapping out the village and settling into a small apartment building with the other refugees.

She had been disappointed to find that ninety percent of them were citizens. The total number of Whirlpool shinobi was a depressing twenty. Most of the ninja were jounin with a few chuunin like herself scattered throughout. Sadly, there were no genin to be found.

Her knee had healed faster than expected under Lady Tsunade's care. She had been up and walking around without trouble for four days now. The first thing she had done was buy her own clothes, happy to get rid of the dark, dull spare hospital clothing. Her wardrobe was now full of the bright, vibrant colors she loved so much. Weapons had been easy to acquire as well. Training had taken up most her time after that.

"So all I need to do is beat this poor sucker and then I'm officially healed?" The old man behind the desk smiled softly and nodded.

"Tsunade had informed me that you have healed miraculously. She also told me you're willing to go on missions for the village." The man paused as the redhead in front of him nodded furiously. "However, she wishes to see if you are ready for anything as strenuous as a mission. If you can hold your own against an opponent, she has agreed to officially mark you as fully healed."

"Don't worry about me Gramps. It's the loser I'm fighting you'll have to worry about. Bring it on!" She grinned and slammed a fist into her palm. "I'm gonna make him wish he'd never met me!" The old man chuckled and stood up, his white robes falling gracefully around his form.

"We'll see Miss Uzumaki. We've already received a request for your opponent." The sixteen year-old lifted an eyebrow curiously. The old man walked past her and opened the door. "You can send him in now. We've made him wait long enough." A voice responded and the clack of shoes against the tiled floor could be heard. They returned soon after followed by two more footsteps.

A young woman with black hair opened the door and bowed respectively to the old man. "Here they are Lord Hokage. Sorry to keep you waiting." With a 'thank you' from the Third Hokage, the woman left and two men appeared through the door. Kushina felt her heart skip a beat and her blood freeze as they walked into the room, each bowing to the Third.

"Kushina Uzumaki please let me introduce you too Minato Namikaze and Ryou Daiki. Minato here is the one who volunteered to fight you for the examination. Rather adamantly might I add." The Hokage raised an eyebrow and smiled knowingly at the blond teen, who flushed a light pink.

"I did promise her an even fight once she was healed. I intend to see if she can live up to her threats." He smiled at her, his eyes sparkling with suppressed laughter.

"And I'm here in case they decide to kill each other. The free entertainment is just a bonus!" The Hokage sent the teen a half-hearted glare, the brunette grinning sheepishly. "Lady Tsunade said she'd meet you two up at the training grounds if you decide to go through with this. Field number 4. Play nice kiddies!" Ryou wiggled his eyebrows suggestively at the redhead and escaped through the open doors.

Shooting the door a scathing glare, she turned to the blond. "I'm not going to back down you know." The boy hummed his acknowledgment.

"Good. It's no fun when the competition runs away. I won't go easy on you like I did at the camp though." A feral grin spread across the girl's lips as she walked past the two men and into the hall, turning to shoot them a cocky grin.

"Good. 'Cause neither am I!"

* * *

She twirled the ring of the kunai around her finger, grinning as adrenaline pumped through her body. This was it! She was going to show these Konoha shinobi just what Whirlpool had had to offer, and by beating the infamous Yellow Flash no less. Her body itched at the prospect of fighting again after being incapacitated for the last few weeks.

The redhead gathered her hair into her hands and tied it into a ponytail, letting it fall half-way down her back, and blew at the stray bangs that fell over part of her eye. It felt so good to be in ninja garb again. The fitted rust-colored tank-top covered the long-sleeved fishnet one underneath. Black knee-high shorts allowed her easy movement and access to the kunai pouch around her thigh.

The sun was slowly settling behind the mountains in the distance, bathing the forest in red and orange light. Blinking against the harsh light, she looked at the spectators their fight had procured. The Third Hokage stood tall in his white robes under one of the many trees surrounding the training field, puffing lightly at the pipe hanging in between his lips. Lady Tsunade was naturally there, leaning against the same tree, looking ready to kill. The probable reason for her look stood next to the Hokage hands innocently behind his back. Ryou noticed her look and sent her a cocky grin which she ignored. That had been one of the lessons she had learned soon after arriving in the village: ignore the annoying brunette while throwing in a few punches here and there for when he truly deserved it. Her eyes roamed upward to the tree branches were another shinobi was lounging. Though he had white hair, he looked to be in his mid-thirties. An easy smirk had settled on his features as he looked at her opponent.

Her green eyes followed his gaze and landed on the blond standing twenty feet from her. A lazy smile pulled at the corners of his mouth as he met her gaze. He didn't look any different than that day by the waterfall. His golden spikes shone in the sun's glow and fell handsomely into his eyes. He had the standard shinobi dress on: arsenic-blue shirt and pants with the green vest and Konoha headband.

"Remember you two. This is just a test to see if Miss Uzumaki is fit for missions yet. We don't need any unnecessary or severe injuries." The old man stepped forward and smiled encouragingly at them. "I must warn you though Miss Uzumaki, your opponent isn't to be taken lightly. Being a jounin, he is sure to have more experience than yourself, and he is famous for a reason. Are you sure you wish to continue?"

"I'm not going to lose to a pretty-boy like him!" Sputtering could be heard from the blond as he gaped at her and hysterical laughter came from the tree. The old man just smiled and nodded.

"Very well. Just show us you are able to hold your own and hopefully you will be one of many to be instated into the Konoha ranks. You have until sunrise tomorrow"

"I'm not going to lose!" The old man nodded and walked to the middle, his hand held ready in the air. Time seemed to crawl by as adrenaline pumped through her veins. The hand slashed through the air and the Hokage reappeared by the occupied tree.

Letting loose a battle cry, Kushina launched herself across the expanse of grass toward her victim. The blond seemed mildly surprised at her tactics, but fluidly dodged beneath her punch. Narrowing her eyes in concentration, the redhead dropped to the ground and rotated on her toes, dragging her heel toward the boy's ankles. He flipped away from her and landed in a stance.

Dipping his hand into the pouch around his waist, his arm flashed across his chest as five shuriken left his hand. Jumping into the air and twisting to avoid the weapons, the girl pulled a kunai from its holster and threw it mid-twist. Expecting the retaliation, Minato hopped to the side and pumped chakra into his legs, giving them an extra boost as he threw himself at her.

Finishing her twist, she was forced to drop to the ground to avoid the fist. Moving her weight to her hands, she kicked up, her foot connecting with the man's chin. He grunted but caught her ankle in his hand and rolled, throwing her across the field. She flipped and landed in a crouch, hand sliding across the ground from the impact.

Her eyes widened at the familiar sound of kunai cutting through air. Glancing up, she was just in time to roll out of the way before the knives hit the ground and the explosive tags attached detonated. Hot air and chucks of earth hit her as she stood and chucked a shuriken at her opponent. Slamming her hands together she smirked as the boy recognized the hand signs. "Shadow Shuriken Clone Jutsu!" The single weapon multiplied and soon at least a hundred were raining down on the blond.

Minato hurriedly plunged his hand into one of the pockets in his vest. Unable to see what he pulled out, the redhead tensed. He swiped his arm and a single kunai flew toward her. Smirking, she let it rush past her. "You're going to have to better than that! Is this the best Konoha's Yellow Flash has to off-" her opponent disappeared as the storm of shuriken approached. Before her brain could process the sudden relocation of his chakra, a kunai was pressed to her neck.

Kushina tensed as the knife punctured the thin layer of skin on her neck, blood dripping slowly from the wound. Her breathing hitched as she felt the muscular chest pressed against her back. "Don't count me out yet. I'm not totally useless." The voice was light, teasing, and made her blood boil. Turning her neck as much as the kunai would allow, she smirked at him.

"No, but pretty close." The weight against the blond's chest disappeared in a puff of smoke, replaced by a rock with a picture of the redhead sticking out her tongue. The blond gaped at the picture for a second before laughing.

"I must admit. I didn't see that coming. You've got talent, but you're going to need more than silly pranks to win." He dodged to the side, narrowly missing her fist. Grabbing the extended arm in his palm, he turned to face her and yanked at her arm. In order to not dislocate the limb, she stepped forward and he slammed his hand into her stomach. The redhead buckled over as the wind was forced out of her.

Bringing his leg up in a roundhouse kick, Kushina flew backward, dazed from the blow. There was a flash of yellow like a glare from the sun and the blond was standing in her path. Executing a backflip, his feet slammed into her back and redirected her upward. There was another flash and a fist connected with her shoulder. Another and he landed a punch to her stomach. A final one and he brought his leg down on her back, forcing her back toward the ground. His movements were so smooth it was hard to distinguish were one ended and another began.

The impact with the hard floor made her bones creak in protest. Unable to take the weight, the earth gave way. Groaning, she pulled herself out of the crater and glared at the boy. He had the nerve to smile sheepishly at her! "I told you I wasn't going to go easy on you. Lord Hokage needs to see what you're capable of and that's not going to happen unless you come at me like you mean it."

"Shut up bastard! I don't care who you are or how great you think you are! I'm still going to kick your ass! Just watch!" Her hands flew together as a snarl escaped her lips. "Shadow Clone Jutsu!" Nothing was better than the look of pure surprise of the blond's face.

"What!" Twenty clones popped up behind her, all armed and grinning manically. With a large battle cry equivalent to that of a small army, the redhead charged. The blond, now surrounded by pissed off girls, twisted and turned in an attempt to escape the onslaught. Several puffs of smoke appeared as he killed the clones, but more took their place. "Wind Blade Jutsu!"

The air around the group suddenly picked up and the clones were thrown back, sliced in half by the sharp current of air. The original Kushina slid along the ground, arms held protectively in front of her. A long slash cut horizontally across her forearms, blood leaking out of the wounds.

The blond stood looking at the girl, breathing heavily she was glad to add. Her clones had peppered him with bruises, shallow cuts, and a split lip. He gathered his chakra around him and prepared for another blow. "Slashing Wind Jutsu!" The wind picked up again, this time strong enough to lift Kushina and throw her into a tree. Her back cracked as it connected with the tree, the fierce gust keeping her pinned to the trunk. Gritting her teeth, the redhead reached into her pouch and brought out another dozen of shuriken. Using the wind's push to her advantage, she slid behind the tree. Dodging behind another tree, she let half of the weapons fly. Enough of a distraction to make Minato drop the jutsu, she let the rest go as he dodged.

He saw them coming and fluidly dodged them, moving faster than most could claim. Using the trees as cover, Kushina moved closer to the stream that ran through all the training grounds. If she could get there, she could use her more powerful jutsus. She cursed as she felt rather than saw the Yellow Flash following her. She increased her speed, pumping as much chakra that she could spare into her feet.

The trees disappeared as the riverbed came into view. Sliding out over the water, she smirked. Her fingers quickly went through the long list of hand signs needed for her favorite jutsu. Kunai flew past her, but she dodged them with confidence. Closing her eyes, she felt around for his chakra and smirked. "Water Dragon Jutsu!"

Having stopped just inside the fringe of trees, she couldn't see the Yellow Flash's face but she enjoyed the look of surprise and fear that her mind conjured up for her amusement. The dragon roared as it leapt out of the stream and at the spot where the blond was hiding. The trees groaned as the large amount of water hit them with crushing blows. The attack died down, leaving an inch of water over the training ground. Moving back to the stream, the water pulled a fair amount of debris with it.

"Ha! Take that Blondie!" She looked up at the sky and saw the waning moon shining a pale silver light over the water. The white sliver was slowly descending into the west horizon. Yellow light had begun to peak over the treetops to the east as dawn chased away the night.

"You shouldn't get so distracted by the scenery Uzumaki. It gives your opponent the chance to sneak up behind you." The redhead gaped as she spun on her heel. The blond idiot stood on the opposite shore, grinning cheekily at her. He was dripping wet, water making his clothing stick to his body and his usually gravity-defying hair fall limply on his forehead. A few light scratches covered his skin but he seemed no worse for wear. A scowl formed on her face as her temper flared. How the hell had he escaped her attack with nothing more than a few scratches?

He lowered himself into a fighting stance and shot her a grin. Kushina's scowl deepened. With a shout, she charged at him. No matter what she threw at him, he seemed to dodge it. Unorganized punches and kicks were easily dodged by rapid and graceful movements as if the blond could see them coming before the girl even thought about them. Kushina growled as the blond jumped over her leg and flipped out of her reach.

Glaring at him, she reached for her pouch, but he was faster and had a kunai out before she could even get one in her grasp. Another flash of light and Minato was in front of her, kunai held at her chest. "You really think that's going to work?" The man just grinned.

"Oh. You'll find I can be very persuasive when I want to be." She shivered as his voice dropped to a drawl. Something sharp pressed into her spine. Her body stiffened at the threat. She gasped and glared at the grinning man in front of her. "You're not the only one you can produce shadow clones. I might not be able to create as many as you, but I can make enough." The sky began to lighten as the sun rose above the fringe of trees. "It's looks like we're out of time anyway." The clone behind the redhead disappeared with a soft poof and the blond man stepped back and placed the kunai back in its holster.

There was a change in the air as the Hokage and blonde Sennin appeared next to the Konoha shinobi. The white-haired man and Ryou landed on the grass. The white-haired man walked up to Minato and proceeded to hit him on the back with good-natured glee.

"Congratulations Miss Uzumaki. That was an excellent fight." The Third smiled and Tsunade smirked. "I would be grateful if you would join the Konoha ranks, with Lady Tsunade's permission of course." All eyes turned to the blonde woman.

"There was nothing wrong that I could see. She's a little loud for a shinobi, but I can't fix that. Otherwise she seems to be capable of handling herself." She sent a smile at the other girl and nodded. "Does anything hurt?" The redhead shook her head. Satisfied with her answer, Tsunade nodded again and turned to leave. "She's fine. Now if you'll excuse me, the idiots at the hospital are probably running around like headless chickens trying to find me by now." She disappeared as she jumped to into the trees.

"Congratulations Red. Maybe you actually do have some skill." Ryou ducked beneath the punch and backed up, grinning mischievously. "I don't think it's a good idea to hit the person who's supposed to heal you Red. Not the sharpest kunai are ya?" He dodged beneath her next attack and scampered behind Minato, who quirked a blonde eyebrow in his direction.

"Stop hiding you bastard! Fight me like a man!"

"Why? You've got enough manliness for the both of us." With a shriek, Kushina flung herself at the boys.

"Whoa! Hold on there girl! There's no need to get violent!" The white-haired man turned to the brunette and glared. "I'd get out of here if I were boy. I don't feel like cleaning up your remains after she's finished with you." The medic-nin grinned and translocated.

"You should have let me hit him," the redhead growled, cracking her knuckles in the process. "I've been waiting too ever since I met him." The white-haired man just sighed and glared up at the sky.

"Why do all the beautiful ones have to be so violent," he asked no one in particular. Minato sighed despairingly and shook his head. Kushina just eyed the man.

"Who the hell are you?" Minato just groaned and stepped forward as the man's eyes lit up and he opened his mouth for what she expected to be a long and wordy introduction.

"He's my sensei. Jiraiya. Don't mind him." Jiraiya's shoulders slumped as he glared half-heartedly at the blonde.

"Oh! Pay no heed to that idiot apprentice of mine miss!" Kushina smirked at Minato who just pouted. "I am the Great Toad Sennin, Jiraiya! And who, may I ask, are you my beauty?" He took her hand in his and bent down to press his lips to the soft skin on top of her palm.

"Uzumaki. Kushina Uzumaki. The best kunoichi from the former Whirlpool Village." A smirk crossed her face as she glanced at the other teenager. He was glaring at his sensei and missed the look, but turned to face her as he felt her eyes on him.

" Let's go get you cleaned up since you scared away our medic. Then we can go out for ramen. My treat." The redhead's green eyes widened and sparkled at the mention of food. She grinned and grabbed hold of the boy's hand, pulling the surprised blond behind her. He shouted in alarm as she took off at full speed toward the city, the sage chuckling behind them. Waving a good-bye to the toad sennin, she grinned back at the unfortunate blond you was trying his best to keep up. She had to roll her eyes at the sight.

"I'm going to make you regret those words!"


	4. Plans

Hey guys. Sorry this chapter is a little short. I'm just trying to move the story along. There should be another one out soon. Thanks for all the reviews and sorry if I didn't respond. I tend to forget which ones I've responded to already. Anyway, I hope you enjoy.

Naruto doesn't belong to me.

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Chapter 4

Plans

Kushina drummed her fingers impatiently on the wooden counter-top. The man behind the counter just smiled at her and chuckled. "I thought patience was an important part of being a shinobi." His chuckles pitched in volume at the glare the redhead sent him and the pout on her lips.

"I'll have you know I have plenty of patience! Thank you very much. It's just taking so long to freaking cook the ramen! I've been sitting here for hours!" She threw her hands up in the air and slammed her hands onto the counter. The man just continued to laugh at her expense as he stirred the noodles cooking in the pot.

"It's only been five minutes Kushina. Hardly enough to get worked up about." Kushina just scrunched up her nose and glared at the owner of the ramen stand.

"That won't stop her though. If she can find something to bitch about, she'll use whatever she can," a mocking voice said calmly from behind her. The girl spun around in her seat and crossed her arms over her chest, tilting her head mockingly to the side. Ryou stepped into the stand, waving away the cloth that hung over the door as he entered. He flashed the redhead a smile and jumped into the seat next to her. "What's up Red?"

"What do you want idiot? Can't I enjoy ramen without you annoying me for once?" The brunette smiled slyly next to her and furrowed an eyebrow. Throwing an arm around her shoulders, he pulled her close and crushed her to his side.

"Aw! But I thought you loved me! Whatever happened to the flame we had when we first looked into each other's eyes? The tenderness the first time we kissed? The passion during the ragging sex?" He wriggled his eyebrows at her suggestively. Scoffing, Kushina pushed him off her and thanked the cook as he placed the bowl of long-awaited ramen in front of her.

Breaking her chopsticks and digging into the noodles, she barely heard Ryou order his own. It wasn't until the man turned around to prepare his order that the weariness showed on the teen's face. "Tough day at that hospital?" He smiled wryly at her and nodded.

"We've been getting injured coming in all day by the masses. If this keeps up, we won't have any shinobi left to fight." He rubbed a hand across his eyes and his smile was plastered back on his face as the hand was pulled away. "Not everyone's got endless energy like you Red." The cook brought over his order and he silently thanked the man. Slurping his noodles happily, he looked at her again. "The jounin exams are in a month you know. Are you planning on entering, or are you planning on staying a chuunin forever? Their so desperate now they'll let even someone with your skills pass."

The redhead growled and snapped her chopsticks. Cursing and grabbing another pair, she sent a death-glare at the boy and shoveled the noodles into her mouth. She smiled at the taste. It had been four months since her fight with Minato. After he had found someone to heal their minor wounds, he had taken her here, something she was eternally grateful for. The ramen here was the best she had ever had, and the stand had easily become one of her favorite haunts. Minato, Ryou, and her were frequent costumers here, often meeting here to catch up on the others' busy lives.

"Wow! You haven't hit me in the last ten minutes! I might be close with the 'ragging sex' thing after all." The brunette's voice shook her out of her musings, like a lightning bolt. Her hand instantly shot out and smacked the boy's head. He winced and rubbed the offending spot, grinning sheepishly at the girl beside him. "Come on. You know you want me!"

"I'd stop now before she kills you Ryou." The owner smirked and pointed at the redhead with his chin. The brunette blanched at the furious glare the girl was shooting him. If looks could kill, he would rather be sentenced to a million years in the shinigami's stomach than face Kushina's wrath. Finishing off the broth in record speed, the boy, jumped from his seat, slapped bills on the table, and rushed out the door before the redhead could lunge at him. Teuchi just chuckled and went to serve another costumer.

Pulling out crumpled bills, Kushina paid for her meal and exited the stand. When she met the annoying medic-nin again she was going to pound him into the ground! The mental pictures with the promise made the redhead smile. Several people hastily got out of her way, but she paid them no heed. Though despite her better-judgment, Ryou had grown on her. The constant prank-battle between them kept her occupied and gave her a few good laughs. However, she couldn't see how someone like calm, sensible Minato could be close friends with someone as eccentric and annoying as Ryou. She chuckled at her thought. Minato must be a magnet for odd-balls than since he seemed to have friends like her and Ryou.

"What, may I ask, is so funny?" She opened her eyes, not realizing she had closed them, and looked at her surroundings. Her feet had brought her to one of the training grounds farthest from Konoha. It was small and secluded, and reminded her of the clearing at Whirlpool's training grounds where she had officially met Minato. A head full of sunny hair tilted to the side, blue eyes filled with concern. "Are you alright Kushina?"

"Me? Oh yeah. Peachy. Just got a little sidetracked I guess. I was having to much fun mentally turning Ryou into a pile of goo." She grinned cheekily and looked questioningly at the blond as he chuckled. He sat bare-chested, leaning against a tree with a scroll laid out across his lap. Next to him, a convenient log had taken up the temporary job of a desk. More scrolls and paper were spread out across the fallen tree, along with his shirt, jacket, and a towel. The man chuckled and sat up straighter, gesturing for her to join him. Plopping down next to him and leaning against the same tree, hands held behind her head, she closed her eyes.

"You must be to have made it all the way out here. This isn't exactly near the village." She peaked at him out of one eye and hummed.

"I could say the same for you. What's the matter? Fan-girls giving you trouble again?" A light blush colored the blond's cheeks, something the girl noted with amusement. "You seem to have no trouble flaunting your stuff though. If any of them found you now..." she let the threat fade as she grinned. Minato glared at her but reached for his shirt anyway. "What're you doing up here that's got you working so hard? I haven't seen you breath so hard since your fight with Mikoto. Right before she kicked your ass." She laughed and nudged him with her shoulder.

"I've just been working on a few new seals and a jutsu. It's harder than I thought it would be though." as an after thought he added, "and that fight was a tie." Kushina scoffed and one of her eyebrows disappeared into her hair.

"Yeah right! She totally won! You could barely move after that. I should know, I carried you back to the village. Besides, what's wrong with being beaten by a girl?" Minato, obviously knowing that he was entering into dangerous water, put his hands up defensively. He had been at the end of the redhead's fists enough to know when to be wary around the kunoichi.

"I never said that. I just said that it was tie. Which it was, since Mikoto went down too." Kushina just shook her head, but let the argument drop. She was smart enough to not start anything. Their time together was scarce. With the war and Minato with his skills and jounin status, he was put into missions ranked higher than she was allowed to be assigned. She was glad to see that Minato had his eyes closed and head tilted back against the trunk, his face clam and peaceful.

"So when are you going to show me this cool new jutsu?" He opened his eyes and remorsefully looked out over the field, the sky, anywhere but her own eyes.

"It's nowhere near what I have planned for it. It's still not great. There's a lot more I can and want to do with it." He finally turned and faced her a smile tugging at his lips. "I promise though, when I'm done, you'll be the first person to see it. I might even teach it to you if you want."

"It better be powerful Namikaze. I'll be angry if you got me excited for nothing." Crossing her arms, she gave a sharp nod and glared at the blond as he laughed.

"I'll make sure it's up to your standards Lady Uzumaki. What else shall I do for you, mistress? Throw flowers at your feet? Proclaim you name across the land?" He dodged the half-hearted swipe at his head and chuckled at the sour look on his friend's face.

"Jerk," the redhead muttered, hitting him playfully on the shoulder. She forced her lips to stop smiling and form a scowl. However, the man saw through her charade. He grinned one of his trademark smiles that seemed to outshine the sun. His blue eyes came to life and twinkled with merriment. It must be contagious as Kushina felt her lips being pulled upward into an easy smile. Jumping up with a sudden rush of energy, she turned to see his questioning glance.

"Come on! The jounin exams are in month, and your going to help me train!" She held her fist in front of her face in a victory pose and smirked down at the man. "I'll show you just how much I've improved since we last fought." The competitive glint shone in the blond's eyes as he stood up and lowered himself into his stance.

"Bring it on girly!" With her signature battle cry, Kushina pushed off the ground and toward the calm man.

* * *

"The winner is Kushina Uzumaki!" Kushina smirked at the people gathered in the stadium. The jounin exams weren't as public as the chuunin exams, in fact they were only open to jounin, family members, and politics. That didn't stop the roar from the crowds to echo across the arena. Even the silent ANBU forces and withdrawn shinobi clapped. _They should clap. I gave them a show they'll never forget_ the girl thought as she crossed the area to where her opponent had been thrown.

The tall, board-shouldered man was struggling to sit up, his arms shaking from the effort. She kneeled down in front of him and extended her hand. He looked at it in confusion for a second before smiling and shaking the offered hand. "Nice fight! I haven't fought someone like you in a while. I forgot how to fight an opponent who's movements have no pattern to them."

"Thanks," she grunted as she pulled him to his feet and supported his weight. "You're not bad yourself. But I wasn't going to lose!" Medic-nin rushed forward and took the man from her hands, gently fixing the wounds she had pounded into the man. One of the nin pulled away from the group and approached her.

Ryou sped forward at the last moment, grabbed the redhead in his arms, and twirled her around, much to her ire. Letting loose a stream of curses foul enough to make most people blush, she struggled against his arms, socking him in the stomach with her knee. He released her and doubled over, coughing. "That's the thanks I get for congratulating you?"

"Don't ever pick me up like that again, bastard, or I'll hit you so hard, you'll be out for a year!" A familiar chuckle behind her made her turn to face her other friend.

"I don't think that's necessary Kushina. I think he suffered enough." He walked up to her and placed his hand on her shoulder. "Good job. That fight should go down in the record books. Congratulations." The deep tone of his voice made her flush with pride, after all, if the Yellow Flash was complimenting you, it meant you were good.

"That's what I was going to say, before she punched me! You trying to steal my girl Namikaze?" He chuckled as he wrapped his arm around her shoulders, mock-glaring at Minato. The blond just chuckled and shook his head while Kushina growled and shook off the medic-nin's arm.

"All I know is that I'm just glad I can finally join you guys on missions. I was so sick of those pathetic missions I was sent on. I can't wait until my first mission!"

"It seems like you won't have to wait very long Miss Uzumaki." The Hokage stood in the middle of the hall leading under the stands. He motioned for the trio to join him which they did with confused expressions. As they stopped in front of him, he smiled warmly at Kushina. "Congratulations Kushina. That was a captivating fight. I'm sure its of no surprise to you that the council has decided to promote you to jounin." A grin covered the girl's face as the boys congratulated her again.

"It seems your fight has gained some attention. We have someone who has asked specifically for you as an escort to the Village Hidden in the Stones." The old man saw the amazed looks on the teen's faces, and held up a hand to silence any questions. "It isn't common knowledge, but we have a high-ranking councilman from the Stone Village here for negotiations. However, it is time for him to return to his village and report to his fellows. I would also like to send a diplomat with him to continue the negotiations. The councilman is willing to pay extra for his choice in shinobi." The Third seemed troubled with this, but didn't go into detail. "He saw you fight and asked for you as one of his guard, along with another former Whirlpool shinobi. You have every right to decline this mission if you wish."

Minato tensed next to her, and Ryou shifted nervously. Kushina bit her lip. She could read between the lines enough to know something was odd about the Stone's councilman's request. But, this was the kind of adventure she had been craving. She looked into the elder's eyes and nodded. "If you want me too Lord Hokage." The old man smiled wryly at her and returned her nod.

"I do not wish to sway your answer, but I think it would be a good idea. Our country could use the money to fund this war. And any positive ground we can make with the Village Hidden in the Stones is good." Kushina nodded again, and the old man placed his hand briefly on her shoulder before leaving.

Minato turned to talk to her, his face distraught and his muscles tight with tension. As he opened his mouth though, Jiraiya turned the corner and called out to the teen. He looked annoyed at the interruption, but began to move toward his sensei. Giving his friend a worried glance he smiled weakly and said, "Good luck. Be careful and don't do anything rash." With that warning, he trotted down the hall to the toad hermit and they disappeared.

"Are you sure about this?" Kushina's eyebrows disappeared into her hair as she turned to the remaining boy. His face was troubled as he looked into her eyes. "You don't have to do this."

"I'm sure Ryou. I never back down from a challenge! I'm not about to start just because this mission is slightly dangerous." She thanked the gods that her voice didn't waver. She knew the risks with this mission. For all they knew, this could all be a trap. It didn't help that she had a personal vendetta with the Stone- nin _So why me?_ The expression on Ryou's face changed slightly to an emotion the redhead couldn't identify as he gazed at her.

"Just be careful okay? I fixed you up once. I don't want to do it again. I don't like having my friend's lives in my hands. So don't do anything stupid." He grinned cheekily at her, but the mask instantly fell. He shoved her hands into the pockets in his blue jacket and looked bashfully at his feet. "Just come back alright?"


	5. Rumors

Okay, so this one is shorter than usual. Sorry if it's getting a little slow, I'm just trying to get info and characterizations down. Thanks so much to everyone who's reviewed so far. My updates will be coming slower than usual since real life has caught up with me this week. Sorry! I'll try and get them out as quickly as possible.

Naruto doesn't belong to me and be grateful for that.

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Chapter 5 Rumors

Cursing the Hokage, the messenger, the councilman, and the ungodly hour, Kushina slung her pack over her shoulder and glared at the ANBU standing at her door. How could someone be so calm at four o'clock in the morning? The ANBU motioned for her to follow him as they stepped out into the chilly twilight air. The redhead shivered and wrapped her arms around herself. Even with the heavy jacket on, the cold still chilled her to the bone. Or maybe it was just the prospect of the mission she was about to set out on.

Something was wrong with the mission.. Everyone could feel it. Yet they were still walking straight into the Stone's territory and any possible trap they had set up for them. They couldn't just ignore the councilman though, Konoha wanted to end this war as soon as possible and leaving one of their opponent's higher-ups to fend for himself wasn't going to help anyone. Sighing and pulling the coat more tightly around herself, she glared at the back of the ANBU in front of her.

They arrived at the Hokage tower five minutes after leaving her apartment. Being a shinobi did have its perks. Leading her in through a door from the balcony they had jumped onto, the man guided her through the maze of hallways until they reach a pair of heavy, ornate doors. The ANBU knocked and a voice bade them to enter. The office they walked into was surprisingly crowded for such an early hour.

The Hokage sat behind his desk, fingers laced in front of his face. A man Kushina guessed was the Stone's councilman sat in one of the chairs next to the desk. He had wisps of white hair sprouting out of the sagging skin on his head. He was dressed in robes that hid his form from view and a cane made from stone leaned on the armrest. What caught the redhead's attention the most was glossy, colorless eyes. As she entered, the old man turned his blank gaze on her.

The other people in the room caught her off guard. Standing in front of the desk, Minato nodded at her, his eyes slanted and guarded. He was dressed in his usual garb with a backpack at his feet. Next to him, Ryou was in the middle of stifling a yawn when she entered the room. He instantly became alert however when she entered and grinned sheepishly at her, eyes pleading for her to not cause an uproar.

Another man stood slightly more off to the side. He had black braids that were pulled into corn-rows on top of his head. He had a scar on his left cheek and a stern stance. He was dressed in the usual shinobi garb with the Whirlpool headband on his head. Kushina recognized him as on of the men her deceased sensei used to hang-out with during his free time. Hideki Juro if she remembered correctly. She had seen him in the hospital and around the refugee apartments, but had never got to know him or his skills.

"Ah! Kushina! I see you have finally arrived." The Third stood and smiled at her, obviously not affected by the sleep he was missing. "I would like you to meet, Councilman Riku Debiru. He is the councilman from the Village Hidden in the Stone. Councilman Debiru, I have chosen some of the best shinobi our village has to offer in order to make your trip as easy as possible."

"Yes I can see that," the man whispered, his sightless eyes trailing to the blond in the room, who barely concealed his glare.

"Ryou Daiki, Minato Namikaze, Hideki Juro, and Kushina Uzumaki. Juro will be the leader of the platoon as he has had the most experience. I believe they will keep you safe on your journey." The man nodded and stared at the girl of the group. Minato tensed, though he did a better job of hiding it while Ryou was sending out an aggressive aura so dangerous, it wouldn't surprise her if the councilman had a kunai through his neck in the next two seconds.

The old man just ignored it and grabbed his cane, pushing himself out of the seat. "I thank you Lord Hokage," he said with a respectful bow. "Hopefully our nations can come to an agreement soon and end this useless war. I will tell Tsuchikage that your councilman will be arriving as soon as he gets over his illness. Please give him my best wishes." He fished in his pocket and extracted a purse, bulging at the seams. "I believe this belongs to you. Thank you again for your hospitality." He hobbled to the door, the four shinobi following him with a nod from the Hokage.

"What are you two doing here?" Kushina whispered angrily at her two friends. Ryou just grinned sheepishly and blushed while Minato crossed his arms and glared at the man in front of them.

"We asked to be put in this mission. There's something wrong about this and you know it. I'm not about to let you walk blindly into a trap when I can do something about it!" His voice was deep, rough from the decrease in the volume of his voice. It sent shivers down her spine as she looked at the blond teen. For the first time since she met him, she sounded like the famed killer.

"Same," Ryou claimed from ahead of them, tilting his head slightly to face them. His eyes were devoid of there usual cheerfulness, and anger and possessiveness surrounded him like a cloud.

"Stop lallygagging you three. This isn't a social event. We have a mission to complete." Hideki and Debiru had stopped and where waiting patiently at the gates of the village. Kushina glared at the two boys and ran to catch up with the two at the gate. "Come on. It will take us at least a week to get to Earth Country's borders. And then we have to get to the Hidden Stone Village."

* * *

The kunai whizzed past her head, cutting a lock of her hair as it barely nicked her. The group instantly formed a defensive circle around the elderly councilman. Senses stretching, Kushina easily picked up twelve men moving around them in the shadows. Minato pulled a kunai deftly from his holster and glanced quickly around the woods. If she didn't know what she was looking for, she never would have noticed the figures around them. Whoever they were, they knew what they were doing.

A quick glance at Minato confirmed that they weren't dealing with just normal roadside bandits. Involuntarily, her muscles tensed and her hand hovered over the holster attached to her thigh. The man behind her was surprisingly calm as he turned his blank eyes around in a vain attempt to see what was happening. There was a moment of tense silence as the group waited for any sign of their attackers. "How many?"

"About twelve. Maybe thirteen. They're moving around too much for me to count." Minato's rough whisper answered Hideki's.

"So about three for each of us." Ryou's low chuckle sounded oddly out of place with the adrenaline pumping through her veins. "To easy." A birdcall resounded throughout the quiet forest, answered shortly after by another. Minato tensed and looked around at the trees bordering the road. The leaves rustled and there was a dull twang.

"Move!" The shout was followed by the whistle of metal cutting through air. Minato grabbed Debiru's arm and disappeared in a flash. Hideki rolled out of the middle of the road and took a windmill shuriken from his backpack. Ryou roughly grabbed her shoulders and flung them to the ground as the kunai soared overhead. The heavy weight pinning her to the ground pressed down on top of her as the group of bandits emerged from the forest.

The redhead grimaced as their attackers came into view. The men were obviously used to living on the road, there bodies were covered in mud and grime, some even sporting a few bloodstained clothes. Swords and knives were blatantly strapped to their hips and backs. Scars adorned their faces and arms like badges. Teeth were yellowed and chipped behind chapped, grinning lips.

"I thought this road was supposed to be more heavily used. You're the first people we've seen in a while." The biggest man who looked more like a bear than a man, regarded them with beady eyes. "You better have a good amount of cash on you. It's been a while since we hd anything decent to eat. My men aren't in the best mood right now so it'd be better if you'd just had over the money now. We might let you live if you're willing to cooperate."

"Yeah right moron!"Her green eyes were alight with fire as she watched the bandits. Ryou shifted nervously and stood up, glaring at the beast of a man. "I suggest you take your pathetic crew and get out of here before we kick your butts!" The leader laughed and put his hands on his hips.

"Bring it on little girl." Temper flaring, the girl leapt up from the ground and toward the man, shuriken twirling in her hands. Ryou made a mad grab from her, but missed. Twisting, he ducked beneath the oncoming bandit's punch and jumped away from the next swipe. Hideki had blocked several smaller shuriken, using the windmill for a shield. A grin grew on the leader's face as Kushina continued to charge.

There was a clash as her airborne shuriken met the kunai in his hand. The weapons dropped to the ground. Continuing her charge, the redhead swung her fist only to have to hastily blocked. The hand holding her fist tightened and twisted her arm. Twirling with the movement, Kushina kicked off the ground, foot connecting with the man's temple. He gasped in pain and surprise and let her drop to the ground.

Unable to get her feet beneath her, she landed awkwardly and was unable to block the kick aimed at her shoulder. Wincing as a bruise formed on the abused skin, she pivoted on her heel, and took out the man's ankles, letting the large bulk crash to the ground with a thud. Seeing their leader fall, one of the bandits pulled away from the group trying to get at Ryou.

With a cry, the nameless bandit threw himself at her, knife ready to attack. Flipping away from the attack, she watched the man, boy really, right himself and turned to face her. She stuck her tongue out at him, smirking as he scowled. "You're going to have to do better than that." Kicking off the ground, the boy took another swipe at her, this time tearing a hole in her pant leg as she rolled to the side.

"Gotcha!" A meaty fist came down on her head as she came out of her roll, slamming her skull into the ground. Biting her lip to keep from yelping in pain, she tore a kunai from her pouch, dragging the knife across the thick wrist of her attacker. He yelped in pain and tried to hit her again. But she was ready this time.

The arm shot forward. Ducking around the blow, she pushed herself into a crouch and trust the kunai into the man's throat. He gurgled as blood flooded his throat, a trickle of the liquid running down his lip. Letting go of the bloody weapon, she felt the air move as someone else tried to take a hit at her. Hands working quickly on a jutsu memorized long ago, she turned to face her opponent.

Her body froze as a sword slide into her stomach, running up to its hilt. She chocked, her green eyes meting the grinning ones of the boy who had attacked her earlier. Eyes wide, she fell, taking the sword with her. The boy jumped as her body exploded in a puff of smoke. Cursing, he jumped away from the pierced log, shuriken slicing light red lines into his skin. Kushina jumped down from the tree and quickly knelt, picking up a handful of the fallen weapons, They flew through the air toward the boy, who ducked beneath them.

Eyes wide, the boy bandit could only watch as the redhead ran kunai along his throat. His limp body fell to the ground as she jumped past him to finally take care of the leader. The giant was watching his men as they fought, waiting for the right time to come in for the killing blow. "Don't move Hideki! Red!" She froze and the leader turned to face her.

There was a short pop and a silver tube shot into the air. The remaining bandits stared at the stick with confusion. Kushina looked over to where Ryou had been fighting, feeling the brunette's chakra spike. "Raining Needles!" The tube cracked open at the end, sharp needles falling from the hidden compartment. The medic's chakra grabbed each one and redirected them. Cries of pain came from the bandits as the needles were pushed into their body and into vital organs. They collapsed, blood spurting form pinhole wounds.

There was another shift in chakra and a flash of yellow as Minato reappeared next to the downed leader. Rolling him over, he frowned as the man grinned back at him. "I'm not dead yet brat! It'll take a lot more than that to kill me."

"Usually." Three pairs of eyes landed on the brunette as he caught the canister as if fell. "I've coated these with my own poison however. If you happen to somehow survive, the poison will eat away at your muscles until you are unable to do move and your body shuts down." The brunette shrugged as he cleaned off a kunai. "You might not die now, but you will eventually." At the disgusted look on the leader's face, the medic gave him a reassuring smile. "Don't worry. It won't hurt. It will be more like dying from old age. It shouldn't take affect for another day or so."

"Why did you attack us?" Hideki, usual stern face in place, helped Debiru over to the others. His black gaze was fixated on the dying leader.

"I told you. We needed the money. You looked like easy pickings."

"Who sent you? Were are you from?" Kushina rolled her eyes at the older shinobi.

"We weren't sent dingbat! We were from the Grass Country on the border of the Earth Country. Our village was attacked by some beast and we've been forced to steal for food. I don't know what it was. It looked like some messed up e..." The man stopped, eyes bugging. His hands went to claw at his throat as he tried to draw in breath. The group looked to Ryou but he just shook his head.

"The poison shouldn't have taken affect yet." The leader continued to struggle as his face changed to a dangerous purple. With one last gasp, his eyes fluttered closed and he went limp. Minato stood up from his squat next to the man and frowned.

"Beast?" Hideki just scoffed and turned to continue down the road.

"The rambling of an insane man. He was probably to stupid to know what it was, and it's probably nothing to worry about."

"Even so," the blond said as he lifted his backpack higher on his shoulders. "We should be careful. These guys weren't new shinobi. Whatever scared them off, must have been bad enough for them to evacuate." His blue eyes were glowing as the thoughts swirled around in his mind. Ryou laughed and slung his arm around his friend's shoulders.

"You think to much Minato." The blond just chuckled and rubbed his head sheepishly. Kushina turned to wait for their charge, who's blank eyes looked even brighter in the light. . He gave her a kindly smile as he felt her gaze and started to follow Ryou's loud voice down the road.


	6. Borderline

Hey guys. I'm sorry for the wait. Life has been getting in the way. I pretty much finished this two minutes ago and didn't have time to thoroughly correct it so I'm sorry for any mistakes. Aso tell me if Kushina seems OOC in this. Spoliers...kinda(If you read the recent Naruto chapters I think the quick switched between depression and happiness is possible since Naruto and Kushina are supposedly very similar in character.)

People have been asking me about couples and such. All I can say is that there will be couples, but it won't overly romantic. I'm not very good at writing romance. I had originally planned this to be a trilogy with more action in this and romance in the others and I'm still debating if I want to keep it that way. It will mean however that most of the romance will be in the other fics. Tell me what you want me to do so I can rearrange things to fit.

Naruto doesn't belong to me. Enjoy!

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Chapter 6: Borderline

The fire crackled merrily as it slowly ate at the dry pieces of wood. Kushina sat next to it, slowly stoking the fire with gnarled twig that hadn't made the cut for the fire. Bugs came to dance around the light, biting her exposed skin. A log popped and caved in, sending a cloud of ash into the air. Fighting back the cough, she turned to the woods. No movement. Good. She didn't need any nervous, over helpful boys trying to cheer her up.

Shortly after arriving in Konoha, Minato and Ryou had made it clear that she wasn't allowed to brood about what happened to her village. They had spent as much time as they could with her, in order to make sure she didn't make sure she didn't fall into depression, something she was grateful for. She had never been one to brood, but she had never lost her entire village in a day before either. If she had been left to her own devices, she probably would be as dark and depressing as some of the other refuges were. She shivered. That definitely had to be avoided at all costs. After all, a suicidal shinobi was no use in war.

But, despite her better judgment, on nights like these, she couldn't help but think about that day. It was still so fresh in her mind. The smell of the smoke, burning wood, and burning flesh seemed to hover around her like a cloud. She could still hear the cries of pain as kunai ripped through skin ringing in her ears. She could still taste the blood and sweat in her mouth, feel the stinging wounds and heat from the fires. Something rustled next to her and she turned, kunai ready to kill.

Unable to see the danger he was in, Councilman Debiru sat calmly next to her, hands held out to the warm fire. "I'm sorry I frightened you. You seemed lost in thought and I didn't want to disturb you." The fire accented all the sags and nicks in his face. His colorless eyes reflected the light so well it looked like his eyes were made of fire. He sighed as the warmth seeped into his old body. "I hope you don't mind sharing the fire with an old man. I've never done well in the cold. Makes my joints stiff." He chuckled. "If you have the choice, stay young for ever. Growing old isn't fun."

She watched him suspiciously, still not relaxed around the man. His people had attacked her village and killed her people. It had taken all her self control to not go on a rampage when she learned he was in Konoha. He was a councilman. For all she knew, he had issued the order to destroy Whirlpool. She had a feeling Hideki felt the same. Whenever possible, the black-haired man kept his space from the councilman.

"There's enough room." She absentmindedly poked at the fire again. "You should really get some sleep though. We have a long journey ahead of us tomorrow. We'll be passing into the Stone Country's borders tomorrow night." Her voice sounded mechanic even to her ears. The old man frowned and turned his head in her approximate direction.

"I should say the same for you. The others are on patrol. I don't believe there is anything to worry about. They both seem like capable men. The rumors I've heard about Namikaze definitely attest to his capabilities. There is no reason for you to be awake too." He smiled kindly at her and she was eerily reminded of some of the grandfathers she had seen in her village and suddenly had trouble associating the man with the death and destruction she had seen. "I know this sounds a bit impertinent, but can you please tell me what happen on that day of the attack."

She froze, gapping at the elderly man beside her. He couldn't be serious. She grit her teeth and felt the twig in her hands begin to snap under the pressure. "What?" The man blinked and frowned, tilting his head to the side.

"I have upset you?" It was more of statement than an question. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to. I merely wish to know what happened. We had just heard rumors abo..."

"What do you mean you 'just heard rumors'? It was your shinobi that attacked! It was your council that gave the order to destroy my village! It was your order that sent hundreds of my people to their deaths! Upset? Of course I'm upset! I'm damn furious! That attack killed everyone dear to me! I watched my friends and family die, my whole life go up in flames! How can you just sit there and ask about it so calmly?" Her hand found the material of his shirt and pulled the man roughly to her feet. "Why? Why my village? Why my people? Why me? Was it for your own sick enjoyment?" The councilman's expression didn't change as she shook him. Her voice had risen from a whisper to a scream. "ANSWER ME YOU BASTARD!"

Strong arms latched onto to her, and tore her grip from Debiru's shirt. Another pair of arms steadied the elderly councilman. "What is going on?" Hideki walked over from the group of sleeping bags, obviously not happy about being woken up. Kushina mentally cursed her carelessness. She hadn't meant for it to get out of hand like this. Her anger had made her loud enough to wake up Hideki, warn Minato and Ryou, and probably broadcast their position to everyone nearby.

"Kushina, what happened? Is everything alright?" Minato's warm breath played with the short hair near her ear and sent a shiver down her spine. She hated when he did that. Ryou was watching her with concerned eyes. Glaring at the medic and his current hostage, she struggled against Minato's death grip.

"No its not! We should be killing him or holding him for ransom or... something! We shouldn't be helping the enemy. Have you forgotten what we've gone through because of this stupid war? Have you forgotten who started this? It's him! Him and his damned people!" Minato and Ryou shared a look and the redhead felt her ire rise. They were questioning her sanity. She just knew it.

"What happened?" Minato's soft, authoritive voice asked again, this time his question directed at their charge. The man shuffled cautiously in Ryou's grasp before sighing.

"I'm sorry. This little episode is my fault." Ryou quirked an eyebrow unbelievingly which earned him a glare from the girl. "I was curious and asked something I shouldn't have of the girl. I never intended to cause trouble. I should have taken her emotions into consideration. I am sorry. I meant no offense." His blank eyes gleamed in the firelight as he looked at Kushina. "I will answer your questions." Hideki signaled to Ryou who immediately released the man. Minato loosen his grip but still held her to him in case she decided to attack the councilman again.

"Uzumaki." The redhead glared at Hideki and bared her teeth, cursing Minato for being so strong. "I need to speak with you for a minute. Alone." The last word was directed at Minato who hesitated for a second before releasing her. The leader of the group motioned for her to follow him into the woods. "Stay here until we return. After that, you can continue your patrol." Minato nodded but watched with hooded eyes as Hideki lead her out of the clearing. Ryou made a rude gesture toward the older shinobi and scowled.

They walked until out of earshot, pushing past thick brush. When they found a spot the man deemed fit for the discussion , he turned to face her, arms crossed and familiar frown in place. "What do you think you're doing Uzumaki?"

"That bastard asked me about _that_ night!" Her arms flung around in outrage. "What kind of dickhead does that? Especially when it was his forces that did it! I don't know how you can sit through this and let him live. Don't you want to revenge the village? Here's our chance! He's one of the ones responsible." The emotionless expression on the man's face only fed her anger. "I don't know what you're all thinking! Why are we making sure he gets back safely? So he can order the destruction of more lives? What's the point?"

"The point is because we can end this war." The hard voice was barely above a whisper, but it silenced her more than any shout could have. "Would you rather we kill him and incite another bloodbath or help him bring peace to the nations? Do not ruin this whole mission because you cannot control yourself! Revenge is for the people who are to weak and stupid to try to let go of the past and work for a better future." He brushed past her and began the trip back to camp. Turning to face her, he scowled. "We all thought Ryoichi's student would be better than those weaklings. I guess we were wrong." He disappeared into the forest without another word or sound.

Biting her lip, she furiously wiped at her eyes. Stop it! She wasn't one those useless crybabies. She was stronger than that.

Then why did her eyes burn so much?

Stop it! It was just a stupid comment by a stupid jerk! It meant nothing! Nothing at all!

Except it did. Hideki had been one of her sensei's closest friends. If anyone had known him, Hideki had. Was she really just a sniveling little brat? Was she tainting her sensei's memory with her weakness? Hugging herself, Kushina leaned against one of the trees and felt a tear slide down her cheek. She could take anything, from name calling to attacks, but she could live with the idea that she was ruining her sensei's legacy. That man had given her the strength and courage she had today. She owed her life to that man.

"Kushina?" She swallowed back the tears at the sound of the voice. Damn! She was too busy with her wallowing to notice anyone had been coming. Cursing her stupidity, she wiped away the remnants of the tears, hoping the darkness would hide her red eyes. The person stooped in front of her and uncomfortably hopped form foot to foot. "Hey Red. It'll be alright. Promise." The brunette struggled with what to say in a way that would usually make her laugh. "Hey. Look at me. It'll be alright." Warm arms enfolded her and pulled her to his chest. His hands softly patted her should in an attempt to comfort her. Her breathing evened out and the flow of tears ceased as Ryou whispered useless words to her.

Pulling away from him, Kushina met his amber eyes and frowned. "You won't tell anyone about this. Ever! Unless you want me to castrate you, you won't tell a soul." The brunette smiled but nodded all the same.

"Not even Minato?"

"Definitely not Minato. I don't need that mother hen, hovering over me again." Ryou chuckled gave her shoulder a comforting squeeze.

"That certainly won't do. Fine. Noone knows, but we better get back to camp before Minato beat Hideki to an pulp." Kushina laughed and grinned at the idea of Minato beating up someone outside of the battlefield. That actually might be something worth taking their time for. The redhead slowed her pace and Ryou quirked an eyebrow at her, grinning with her.

* * *

Kushina smirked as Hideki held a hand to his black eye. The man noticed the look and sent a glare back at her. It only made her smirk grow.

When Ryou and Kushina had come back to the camp, Minato was whispering to Hideki in angry tones. It didn't take long for the two to realize that the blond wasn't going to be throwing any punches anytime soon however. So Kushina had taken matters into her own hands.

"I expect you to hold to your promise Uzumaki. Show me you were worth the time Ryoichi put into your training and that you are fit to call yourself a Whirlpool shinobi." The man met her gaze and moved to the front of the group, scouting ahead. As he left, the redhead stuck her tongue out at him, crossing her arms over her chest childishly.

"We'll be making camp soon." Minato matched his pace with hers and smiled. "It's better if we don't go to far into enemy territory this late at night. Even if we are just an escort, we're from Konoha. All it takes is one mistake to totally mess up this mission." He looked sideways at her.

"And you're worried I might ruin it right?" She quirked an eyebrow at the blond. He grinned sheepishly and rubbed his neck.

"No. I'm just warning you. It's Ryou I'm more worried about. He has a tendency to say the wrong thing at the wrong time during these kind of things." He winced and Kushina grinned. "I'm just want to make sure you're alright with this. After what happened lat night..."

"I'll be fine Minato. This mission just has me antsy is all." She made sure Debiru was out of hearing range before leaning closer to him. "We don't know if this is a trap or not. I don't entirely trust that guy. When he was talking to me last night, my nerves were already frayed. I lost control of myself. It won't happen again."

"Hey Kushina! It's time to rotate." Kushina nodded toward the brunette before smiling at Minato.

"See ya later!" She ran up to met Ryou and Debiru and watched as her friend went to accompany the blond. Uncomfortable silence fell over her as she walked with the old man who had caused her so much trouble last night. She focused her energy on watching for attackers, going through hand signs, anything to keep her mind off the man next to her.

"I'm sorry." She blinked and looked at the old man next to her. "I didn't mean to offend you or anything." Pursing her lips, she held her hands behind her head and looked at the ground, kicking at a rock in the road.

"Then why did you ask?" The councilman didn't answer for a minute, his blind eyes gazing off into oblivion.

"We aren't entirely sure what happened that day. We had ordered an attack on some of the smaller villages outside of Whirlpool. However, our men abandoned their mission however, and rampaged throughout the area. They severed all contract with us and refused to obey orders from superior officers." The councilman sighed wearily.

"Why haven't we heard about this then."

"The military decided to try and cover it up. 'It wouldn't do well for the enemy to think we can't control our own men' they said. Their ineffectiveness has cost several people their lives. But they don't care. All Jun wants is to win this war. We heard the rumor of Whirlpool's destruction a month ago." The redhead gnashed her teeth at the name. Jun was in charge of the Stone's military and had won several battles during his reign. He was famous however, for his cruel tactics and use of his own men as bait.

"Why choose me for this mission though if you had heard about the destruction."

"You're fight was magnificent." He must have sensed he confusion because he smiled. "I had someone dictate the fights for me you see. I asked for more from the Whirlpool to see if they are all like you. However, most refused to help someone from the Stones, as you can understand." Yes she understood perfectly. "Also, if I can show the others the potential that was destroyed at Whirlpool, I might be able to convince them to get rid of Jun and that rogue group." So it was all a political scheme. It made sense. Debiru was supposedly fighting for peace among the nations while Jun was just enjoying the fighting. One of them had to be killed before the other could push their views on the people.

"You also have a great strength and will to live. You have so much potential. You're future will be a great one if you make the right choices." The elder smiled and tilted his head up to the darkening sky. "The world needs more people like you. Its refreshing to find someone like you in all this destruction and death. I must admit, you've made me intrigued. I'd like to find out 'what makes you tick' if you will." He chuckled and hobbled along the road. "I thought a week on the road would be enough to figure it out, but you remain a mystery."

"Are you sure she's not just messed up?" Kushina aimed a backhand at the brunette as he came up behind her. Minato smiled wryly at his two friends as he shook his head.

"Hideki found a clearing up ahead that we can camp in fro tonight." The blond put a hand on the elderly man's shoulder and smiled. "Welcome home. We past into Stone Country not long ago." The councilman smiled and closed his eyes, looking so peaceful.

"Yes. Welcome home Debiru." The man gasped and blood stained his clothing as a kunai protruded from his chest.


	7. Not According to Plan

Hey guys. I can't believe it took me so long to get this up. I'm sorry. I'm going to have another chapter up by friday. I promise. After that I'm going to be gone for two weeks and don't know if I'll be able to get to a computer. Hoepfully, I'll have a few more chapters written by the time I get back. Umm... I'ts midnight over here and my friend had me take a dance class today so I'm exhuasted. Again, I think I got most of the mistakes, but I just went over the last chapter and found quite a few so I'll fix any during the next update so please tell me if you find any mistakes. Thanks.

Naruto deosn't belong to me.

* * *

Chapter 7:

Not According to Plan

"Yes. Welcome home Debiru."

Time seemed to stand still as her green eyes widened.

Crimson blood spurted from the elderly councilman's chest, a red stain spreading across his robes. His clear eyes were wide in confusion, surprise, and pain. A strangled gasp escaped his lips and his frail body shook. The kunai glistened menacingly in the dim light.

The man collapsed with a thud and her head spun as time seemed to speed up. Minato had a fistful of shuriken ready, intelligent blue eyes flashing around the area. Hideki tensed, fingers held ready to preform the necessary signs. Ryou dropped to the ground, flipping Debiru over to look at the wound, and tore through his backpack, looking for supplies. Her body moved on its own accord and she felt the bite of shuriken in between her fingers.

"I suggest you put your weapons away and give up now. You are surrounded and I don't feel like having to clean up the mess." The voice was the same that had spoken earlier, smooth and baritone. The bushes rustled as a man stepped out from the shadows cast by the silver moonlight. Kushina felt the group tense, ready for the first sign of an attack.

"Ryou.' The brunette made a slight movement to show he was listening. "Get him out of here and treat him. We'll meet up with you later." Hideki's voice came out in a hiss as he tried to talk to the kneeling medic. Ryou nodded his understanding and gathered the dying man in his arms. His eyes glanced at her own before disappearing into the forest.

The man watched him go with a bored expression. He was tall, maybe a little over six feet. His silky black hair was pulled into a ponytail at the back of his head and cascaded down his back. His shoulders were broad even under the shapeless councilman robes. She tensed as she noticed that his hands were hidden by the long sleeves. His light, grey eyes noticed the movement and a cruel smile seemed unnatural on his square jaw.

"It's pointless you know. He won't survive." He lifted an arm and she saw the armor covering his hand as his sleeve moved. "There is more to worry about than my men in these woods." He signaled and several bodies jumped form the trees, encased in the same armor from head to toe, each with a sword strapped to his waist. They formed a circle around the three Konoha shinobi, watching with sharp eyes. "We'll be finding pieces of their bodies later this week."

Anger bubbled in her stomach and she stepped forward. Minato's hand wrapped around her wrist before she could attack the man. She turned furiously toward him, but his gaze was still locked on their opponent. "Stay calm Kushina. He's trying to get a reaction. He wants you to attack. Ignore him." Giving him a quick glare, she nodded at the blond and faced the black-haired man.

"I knew that," she said defensively. A tilt of the Yellow Flash's lips were the only sign that he had heard her. She felt Hideki move behind her and his hard voice cut through the forest.

"Who are you and what do you want? Why did you attack us?" A low chuckle came from the tall man.

"You're mistaken. I never attacked any of you. I killed that worm Debiru, but I never laid a hand on any of you." The man bowed mockingly, flourishing his hand. "I am Itsuki Jun, captain of the Stone's forces and the Tsuchikage's head advisor."

"That's a lie. There is no 'head advisor'. The council advises the Tsuchikage and you just killed one of its members who was on a diplomatic mission to end this war." Minato growled as he held up his fist full of weapons and aimed it at Jun. The captain raised a perfectly curved eyebrow and chuckled.

"It seems you've done your homework boy, but that is outdated information." He made a dismissive gesture. "The council has been disbanded due to its members plotting against the kage's rule. Debiru and his fellows have been found guilty of treason." His hands slipped back inside his robes and he smiled cruelly again. "Everyone has been ordered to kill them on sight and to get rid of any possible problems that may arise. Seeing as your from Konoha and associated with Debiru, I believe I am justified in saying that you all are a problem."

He nodded and the team of armored soldiers jumped toward them, swords gleaming.

* * *

Her breath came in short gasps as she ducked beneath the sword aimed for her neck. Pivoting on her foot, she slammed her leg into her opponent's ankle, wincing at the impact with the armor. The man wobbled, but didn't fall and thrust his sword at her.

She threw herself to the side, earning a shallow cut on her shoulder. Twisting from her roll, she jumped into the trees, running like a bat out of hell. And maybe she was. The fight back there had certainly been hellish. None of her weapons could penetrate the armor when thrown. She was forced to get up close to the Stone- nin before she could injure him. Then, the armor was hard enough to block most of her blows. It hadn't helped that the enemy could handle their weapons with deadly accuracy. Yes, it was hellish. Even more so because her mind was occupied with something else, finding Minato, Ryou, and Hideki.

Kushina grit her teeth as she passed another tree. The stupid Stone-nin had easily split them up, so easily that she hadn't realized she was alone until she was cornered. She could only hope that they were alright. Right now she had to focus on her own battle.

There was a flash of metal as a sword was swung at her torso. The warning came to late for her to properly dodge and she fell from the tree like a rock. She wildly grabbed at the branches whizzing past her. Her hand hit one and closed around it. A cry of pain ripped form her throat as her arm was torn from its socket. Latching on with her other hand before she slipped, she hefted herself up on the branch.

On the branch, she could see the next attack coming from above. Leaping off the branch, she twisted around the attack from the second enemy. Damn. They had regrouped. After killing two of the five after her, she had gone into a crazy run, making the three shinobi split up. The odds were more even then. Killing the two had cost her though, and she was getting woozy from blood loss. It wouldn't be long until the third arrived.

Speak of the devil.

Flipping away from the weapon, she landed on the ground and faced her three opponents. Pain shot up from her shoulder. She tried to move it and failed. Damn, she had dislocated it. A knife cut into the tender skin at her face and landed with a thunk in the trunk behind her. There was the sudden displacement of air and padded arms wrapped around her, holding her in place.

Snapping her head back, she felt it connect with the helmet her captor wore. There was grunt and the grip around her loosened. Grabbing a arm before it could be pulled away when the guy recovered, she tore a kunai from her pouch and shoved it into the space between the armor at the armpit. The man was silent but tensed under the pain. Dragging the weapon, she felt the tension on the arm disappear as it hung uselessly at the man's side, three quarters severed.

Jumping into the air, she aimed a kick at the incoming enemy. He caught her foot and twisted, making her stumble. Phantom pain sprung up in her leg and she hoped the lecher who had attacked her when her village was destroyed was rotting in hell. The second enemy twisted her arm behind her and pierced the kunai into her back. The first let go and she tumbled to the ground. Two swords were pressed to her neck and a kunai to her stomach.

Defiant green eyes glared at the armored nin as the redhead struggled against her captors. Grabbing the hand at her stomach she twisted until she heard a snap. This time the shinobi cursed. The one who had a severed arm took the sword from her neck and shoved it into her dislocated shoulder.

She cried out and jabbed at the man, fruitlessly hitting armor. The sword twisted and widened the wound. Ignoring the pain, she pushed off the ground with her good arm and kicked the injured shinobi in the chest. He stumbled backward while his companion came after her with the other sword. She grasped the sword, rolled away, and jumped to her feet, taking to the trees for cover. Blood oozed from her wounded shoulder and dripped to the ground. There was going to be blood splattered all over the forest at this rate. The three remaining enemies passed under her tree, two swords drawn.

There was the beep of a radio and she froze. One of the Stone-nin dug around in his armor and pulled out a handheld radio. He responded to whoever was on the other receiver and listened to a bunch of mumbled words. He nodded and motioned to his companions. "C'mon. We've been ordered back. _It's_ in the vicinity. We'll let _It_ take care of them for now." The others nodded and disappeared into the shrubbery.

Quirking an eyebrow, the redhead waited a moment before leaping down from the tree. What the hell was going on? Releasing her grip on the sword she had stolen from her opponents she turned to look around the area. Something wasn't right. What was _It_?

A low growl made her freeze in her tracks. Turning slowly, she came face to face with _It_.

It was huge beast, at least fifteen feet tall and twenty from head to tail. It had the body like a grey lion, body lithe and feline. It's head resembled that of a human with a permeant look of fear on its face with fangs protruding from beneath its lips. The skin looked sagged and melted, hanging off the bone in clumps. Two long leather wings were spread out to their length and flapped, gusts of wind threatening to make the redhead loose her balance. Its tail was tipped with vicious spikes the length of her arm, dripping with a liquid Kushina wouldn't be surprised if it turned out to be poison. It's beady eyes raged with fire as it looked at her from the fringe of the trees.

Her body screamed at her to move, escape, do anything to get away from that thing, and for once she followed its instructions. She pushed herself to her feet and sprinted away from the creature. Without turning she could tell the beast had lunged and was moving toward her, eager for its next meal. The ground shook and the sound the brush being crushed beneath its huge paws pounded in her ears.

She slid her hand into her pouch. Damn! Damn! Damn! Damn! Damn! She had used to many weapons on the Stone-nin. She only had a handful left and with an immobile arm things weren't looking good. She ducked behind a tree as the beast lunged at her. The trunk cracked and groaned from the weight. What was she going to do? The beast came around the tree and swiped at her, claws coming closer than desired. She was sprinting before she could think about what to do, her body going into survival mode.

Those bandits had been telling the truth. There was some monster in the forest and it was currently hot on her trail. There was an inhumane roar and she flung herself to the ground as the monster flew overhead. She needed water! She hadn't seen any rivers or ponds when running and didn't have the luxury to go looking for one now.

The beast landed and skid across the ground, turning to face her again. It bared its fangs and growled. The redhead scrambled to push up from the ground before that thing attacked again. Her fingers hit something and instinctively grasped onto it. The beast charged, claws slashing wildly. Jerking her hand up, she held whatever it was in front of her. Sharp claws clashed as they were caught by the sword she had dropped earlier.

Slashing wildly with the weapon she drove the creature back. Jumping into a tree she dug in her pouch and took out a shuriken. Grabbing her useless hand, she quickly formed the hand signs and threw the weapon toward the beast. "Shadow Shuriken Clone Jutsu!" The star multiplied and rained down on the monster. It howled in pain as the hundred of weapons penetrated its flesh and the twisted expression became hideous. Growling deep in its throat, it flicked its tail, several of the spikes flying in her direction.

Kushina didn't notice the projectile though. Her eyes locked onto the tail. There was more on the tail that she had initially missed. Dark blood was smeared over the spikes and a piece of cloth was stuck on to of the spikes. A plate of metal proclaimed it to belong to a Konoha shinobi. Dread slithered into her stomach and kept her frozen.

No. Not now. Not them. Minato. Ryou. Tears made her eyes itch, but she swallowed them. She hissed as the forgotten spikes ripped through clothing and flesh, one lodging in her side. Ignoring the pain, she focused on the anger bubbling inside her and gripped the sword so tight her knuckles turned white. "Bastard!"

She jumped from her perch, sword held above her head. Blood pumped in her ears and she could feel the poison begin to numb her senses. With a scream, she brought the weapon down on the beast, leaving a trail of blood in her wake. The creature screeched and swiped at her. She ducked beneath it, poison numbing her body and the pain. The sword dug into the flesh of the monster's arm and she turned the blade to tear into its shoulder.

It lunged at her, but she disappeared from its path with a twist and leap. The sword dipped into its side and came back drenched in warm blood. A hind leg caught her in the stomach and knocked the wind out of her. She turned to lessen the impact and felt a rib snap. Her vision swam as the poison reached her head. Gritting her teeth, she charged at the wounded monster, sword swinging. The grotesque head reared above her, and the teeth descended. Turning the sword vertical, she plunged it into the soft flesh of its mouth and into the creature's brain and collapsed.

* * *

The darkness seemed so inviting, so calm and carefree. She wanted nothing more than to lie there in the darkness. There was no war. There was no destroyed village. There were no dead friends and family. There was no dangerous beast about to kill her. It would be so easy to stay here for the rest of her life.

If it wasn't for that annoying sound.

She couldn't exactly place it. It was almost as if someone had left the radio running on an empty channel, static. Intrigued, she moved closer to the sound of the noise. No. It was more like someone was moving something around. Satisfied at discovering the source of the noise, she turned to drift back to comfortable darkness.

Then the smell hit her. Her stomach betrayed her as it growled loudly. The rustling stopped and small footsteps neared. She wanted to go back to the darkness, but her stomach demanded food. Biting her lip, she looked at her too options. Her stomach gave another moan and she sighed. The darkness would have to wait.

The pain hit her and the brightness burned her eyes. She groaned and the rustling started again. "Miss?" The voice was hesitant and young. Bearing the light in order to look at the new speaker her eyes widened to find a young girl sitting beside her bed. "Are...are you al... alright, Miss?" The room was huge and ornately decorated.

"Where am I?" The girl blushed and bowed slightly.

"You... you are in the medical wing Miss." At Kushina's blank look, the blush deepened as did the bow. "You...you're in the St... Stone Village Miss."

* * *

Some interesting info: The creature is basically a manticore with my own spin and "the manticore is the symbol of tyranny, disparagement and envy, and ultimately the embodiment of evil."


	8. The Enemy?

Chapter 8: The Enemy

"You... you're in the St... Stone Village Miss." Green eyes widened as she stared at the innocent looking girl. Whipping the blankets off, she jumped from the bed. There was no way. The little girl made a small noise of protest, but went ignored. Bad idea.

With a cry of pain, she collapsed on the ground. Her shoulder throbbed, her vision blurred, her chest was on fire and her legs shook form having to support her weight. Great. She was still suffering from blood loss.

There was a worried squeak behind her and small hands hesitantly helped her into a sitting position. Wide pale blue eyes watched her nervously, glancing around for any sign of retaliation at the contact. "I'm... I'm so... sorry I couldn't do much. I was only... only able to stop the bleeding an... and close your wounds." The girl left her side to get something from the bedside table and handed her a glass of muddy looking liquid. "This sh... should stop the pain."

Kushina blinked. She couldn't expect her to just drink the weird concoction in her hand. If what the girl said was true, then she was in enemy territory and their greeting hadn't been the most friendly. Who in their right mind would drink something that the enemy had given them? Glancing up at the girl kneeling in front of her, she looked for any signs of hostility.

The girl couldn't be more than twelve years old. Her long, dirty-blond hair was in twin braids and fell over her shoulders beside a small face beginning to lose the chubbiness of childhood. Her pale blue eyes watched her with fear, but she could see the kindness hidden in their depths. Her skinny body was glad in a plain, white dress that stopped just above her ankles, but didn't hide the bruises on her arms and legs. Even at her age, she held the makings of a beautiful woman.

Innocent. That was the only word the wounded teen could come up with to describe the small girl. There was no hostility or anger, just fear and hope glittering in her eyes. Smiling encouragingly at the blond girl, Kushina looked at the drink one more time before moving the cup to her lips.

She finished off the drink, wincing at the medicinal taste left in her mouth. She stuck out her tongue in disgust. The girl bowed hr head and blushed. "I... I'm... I'm sorry Miss! I tried to make it taste better. I really did!" Her face held desperation as she closed her eyes and braced herself. "Pl... please don't be mad at me. I'll do better next time." All thoughts of the possible poison she had just inhaled vanished at the girl's outburst, her attention fully on the girl now.

"Mad? Why would I be mad?" The girl didn't answer but whimpered as the shinobi placed her hand on the kid's shoulder. Snatching her hand away, her mouth was pulled into a frown. Now the bruises made sense. What kind of pathetic bastard picks on a kid? Tears dripped from the girl's eyes. "Hey. Don't worry. I won't hurt you." Her words didn't seem to do anything, and the redhead sighed, running her fingers through her hair. "What's your name?"

The girl sniffed and discreetly brushed away her tears. "I'm... I'm Aiko. Aiko Kagawa." Kushina smiled at the girl and stuck out her hand. Aiko looked at it before hesitantly grabbing it with her small hands. She squeaked when the redhead energetically shook her hand.

"Nice to meet you Aiko. My name's Kushina Uzumaki." She grinned threatened to break her face as the girl gave her a little smile in return.

"Ni... nice to meet you too Miss Uzumaki."

"Call me Kushina. 'Miss Uzumaki' makes me sound like some high-class snob." She made a face that showed what she thought of that classification and was rewarded with a light giggle from the girl. "Okay?" Aiko bit her lip and nodded. "Alright! Now what's going on?" She scratched her cheek in embarrassment.

"Oh! Um..." The girl played with her bottom lip and glanced at the door as if expecting someone to be listening. "Um... I'm not sure exactly." She fiddled her fingers nervously, obviously still not completely trusting the teen's words about not hurting her. "You... you've been unconscious for two days. Master Jun told me to heal you and take... care... of..." The girl stopped as Kushina tensed.

Jun! There was no way this girl was associated with Jun. Even from their short meeting in the forest, she could tell he was an arrogant bastard who needed a good kick in the nuts. Aiko was a sweet, defenseless, little girl. There was no way the kid had willingly joined Jun. But then, why did her voice become admiring and loving when she had sad the son of a bitch's name?

"Jun?" The pale blue eyes met hers for a split second. The girl's confidence seemed to swell at the mention of the man, and Kushina briefly wondered if it had been a good idea to drink the concoction earlier. Blond hair sung as Aiko nodded enthusiastically.

"Uh-huh! Master Jun adopted me when I was little and let me live here with him. He's taught me to read and write and got me a tutor so I can become a medic and help people. He's the only one who was ever nice to me." The smile was replaced by a blush as the girl realized how much she had said. She whispered an apology and wrung her hands in embarrassment. The sudden change surprised the redhead. Were they talking about the same person?

A sudden revelation made her jump, Aiko tensing at the unexpected movement. "Aiko!" The girl looked on with fearful eyes as the teen's eyes widened. "Aiko. Did anyone else come in with me? Were there others?" The girl shook her head, hair whipping around.

"N... no. No... not that I know of at least. Master Jun only brought you and the trait...traitor Debiru's body back. I... I haven't heard anything else. I promise!" The girl watched in amazement as the once lively redhead stood as still as a statue.

"Nothing? Nothing at all?" The girl shook her head slowly, watching Kushina carefully. The teen didn't notice however. Nothing. But they had brought in Debiru' body. She had seen someone's headband in the monster's teeth. Maybe they had gotten away. The possibility seemed less likely now however. She didn't know what she would do if Minato, Ryou, heck, even Hideki died. There had been to many loses in her life already.

"Did you... are you looking for someone?" Kushina felt her head nod and the girl pushed herself to her feet. "Maybe Master Jun can help! He can send people out to look for your friend." She shook her head the girl's energy deflated again. The last thing she wanted to do was get Jun involved. If they were still alive, then it would be better if the man didn't find them. It was a miracle she was alive in the first place.

"The monster. What happened to it? It should have killed me." Aiko fiddled with her fingers again and glanced at the door.

"You should get in bed Miss Kushina. You haven't healed yet." The small girl pulled at her good arm and eventually helped the redhead back into the bed. Once she was situated, the blond raced around the room gathering bandages and other supplies. With nothing to do, the shinobi looked at her surroundings for the first time.

The room wasn't extravagant, but it was nicer than anything the redhead had ever dreamed of owning. The ceiling was high and lofty. Light spilled in through the white curtains over the large windows. There was a door that looked like it went into the bathroom and another leading into something like a closet. The bed she was in was plump and the most comfortable she had been in in a long time. She frowned.

It was strange. Don't get her wrong. She would much rather be in here than in a dark, stinking dungeon or dead, but... wasn't she supposed to be a prisoner? This room looked like something meant for royalty, not an enemy shinobi. She groaned. There was to much to think about, and she still had several questions that needed to be answered, like how she had survived and ended up here.

There were voices outside the door as Aiko changed the bandages on her forearm. The girl looked expectantly at the door and quickly finished tying off the dressings. A knocked reverberated throughout the large room and Aiko tried to straighten her dress. "C... coming," she called and raced over to the door, swinging it open a crack and smiling at the person there.

"Good morning Aiko. I'm sorry to disturb you so early, but I just came to check on your patient." The smooth voice floated into the room and Kushina tensed. Gnashing her teeth together, she could feel them threatening to crack.

"Good morning Master Jun! Please come in. She just woke up a while ago." The blond bowed respectfully and moved out of the way, holding the door open as the tall man entered the room. His grey eyes landed on her and he smiled amiably. She couldn't help but stare. Was this guy bipolar or something?

"Well I see our guest has finally awakened. Why don't you go get her some water from the kitchens Aiko dear. I'll stay here until you return." The girl's blue eyes lit up and she smiled.

"Of course! Thank you Master Jun. I'll be back soon." She smiled and raced out of the room, letting the door close behind her.

"Take your time dear." The door closed with a soft click and Kushina found herself building up her chakra as the man neared. His gaze never left hers as he came up beside the bed and moved the small wooden chair against the wall to the bed. He sat down with more grace than she would expect with his bulk, brown robes spilling around him. "Good Morning Miss Uzumaki. You're looking better."

"No thanks to you." She ignored the voice in her head that warned her not to start a fight when she could barely stand. A scowl pulled at her lips, but the man just continued to smile.

"I warned you to drop your weapons and surrender. The loss might not have been so great Love if you had complied. If it makes you feel any better, we are still looking for your comrades." She growled at the nickname, glaring at the calm captain beside her.

"So you can what? Kill them yourself? Put them in jail? Torture them? You won't be able to find them. I guess you're stuck with me as your prisoner." Amusement shone in Jun's eyes and leaned forward on elbows, lacing his long fingers together under his chin and watching her.

"Yes. I guess we are stuck with you." She clenched her fists together under the blankets to keep from doing anything rash, no mater how much she wanted to break that perfect nose of his. "I didn't save you because of those barbaric reasons however." She tried to hide her shock. _He_ had saved her? Her skin suddenly itched but she refused to show a weakness in front of the enemy.

However, this information brought on a whole new round of questions. Why had he saved her? Why was he keeping her here instead of in a prison? Surely she was a prisoner of war. What had happened to the cruel and sadistic man in the forest? What was he planning?

"What was that thing?" He blinked, confused, before chuckling.

"Straight to business I see. You really are interesting Love." She felt heat rush to her head at the nickname, making her even more lightheaded than normal. She really wanted to pound in his face right now and she would if he continued to use the name. He watched her reaction with the interest you gave to a rare animal. "I believe you have heard the rumors about the 'monster' that has graced our woods recently?" He waited, expecting her to nod. Sighing in amusement when she didn't, he shook his head. "Of course you did. Not much is known about it. All we can guess is that it was created. We believe the ex-council experimented and made that thing to help them overthrow the Tsuchikage. But they lost control of it and it has been prowling the forest since."

"Nice story. Did you tell that to the kage when you got rid of the council? Or is it just a bedtime story you tell to scare your kids?"

"I see Debiru has lied to you about the true purpose of his visit to Konoha." His grey eyes flashed when she faltered, the predator going in for the kill. "What did he say? That it was to promote peace? That the government was corrupt and he needed help fixing it? That I was out of control and power hungry?" He chuckled and looked at her with sympathy. "It was he who was power hungry and corrupt. He didn't want peace. That group of old men just wanted all the power for themselves. They went to Konoha looking for something not sign a peace treaty.

"Everything you've been told about this war is false. We are merely trying to protect ourselves. It was Konoha that attacked. I do not enjoy bloodshed. The evil in this world has caused this blasted war and left thousands dead in its wake. I will not step down and let evil win. I will get rid of the evil and the corrupt in this world and the five nations will finally be united like it's supposed to be. It will be a world of peace Love." Yelling, she swung at him, putting as much behind it as she could.

"Don't call me that!" She hissed as her shoulder was jarred but followed through with her punch. All her fury and worry was fueling her strike, and the man calmly caught it an inch before it could hit him. She stared dumbly at her trapped hand and tried to pull it back as he latched onto it.

"You want all the fighting to stop don't you? You don't want what happened to your village to happen again. You don't want anyone to suffer like you have. And you have suffered Love." He turned her hand in his and held onto it with a vice-like grip in his lap. "Our cause is just. I can stop this war once and for all. However, I cannot do it alone. You have so much potential Miss Uzumaki. Don't let this war and petty differences stop you from reaching it! I'm willing to help to, if you only let me. Our goals are the same. It is foolish to fight against each other when we can put a stop to all this. Together we can change the world." His dashing politician smile was back on as he stood, still holding her hand. Leaning over, he met her green eyes and placed a light kiss on her hand.

"I wish to see you tonight. I will show you I am not the enemy like the lies you have been fed have told you. Think about my offer Love." He finally released her hand and bowed to her. "I'll have my servants send down appropriate clothes for you later. Until then Love."

She could only watch in a daze as the man left. Her head buzzing with what Jun had just said. She had known nothing about Iwagakure's politics until this whole mess and now she was getting a crash course that made her head spin. Who could she believe, if anyone? Who was telling the truth? Holding her head between her hands, Kushina groaned.

Jun had known exactly what to say to make her doubt herself and it scared her more than any monster.


	9. Lessons

Hey guys. I'm back! Vacation was awesome. Thanks for all the reviews and favs. A few of you pointed out that I accidently started using BLEACH terms near the end of the last chapter. I'm sorry for the mix up. My brain was fried. Haha! Thanks to everyone who pointed it out to me. I know I'm supposed to update GG first but this one just wouldn't wait.

Unfortunately this chapter isn't one of the longest. The next should be longer. Updates wil be coming slower now too. School is starting to breath down my back and I still have so much work to do! I don't want my summer to end. Wah!

I hope you enjoy!

Naruto doesn't belong to me... yet.

**Chapter 9:Lessons**

"No way in hell!"

"B... but Miss Kushina, Master Jun..."

"I don't give a damn what that bastard says! There's no way in hell!" Aiko shrunk back from the raging redhead, holding her hands in front of her in defense. "If you haven't noticed, he's my enemy! I'm not going anywhere with him, especially not in _that_!" Aiko followed the teen's pointed finger toward the bed.

'That' was an evening gown on of the servants had brought up a few minutes ago. It was fairly simple, no ruffles or bows, something she was thankful for. It was made of a beautiful black silk that shimmered in the light of the lamps. The v-shaped neckline dropped down past her chest to her stomach, revealing more cleavage than she would ever dream of showing, and her tanned back was bare. The evening gown lay on her bed, spilling over the side.

"There's no way I'm ever wearing something like that! You can tell him if he wants to 'talk' he can find me here." She crossed her arms over her chest and flung herself into an armchair, challenging the little girl to contradict her statement. Aiko fiddled her fingers nervously and bit her lip, looking at the door hopelessly.

"Please Miss Kushina! Master Jun will... will be mad if... if you don't go." Her blue eyes looked imploringly at the redhead. Kushina felt her resolve melt under the stare. Shaking her head, she turned away from the gaze and pouted.

"Forget it!" She wasn't going to give in because of a little girl.

"But... but... Miss Kushina!" The teen looked at the medic, fire burning in her green eyes. The blond shrunk back from the look, fear and apprehension twisting her features. Anger dissolving under the fearful gaze, Kushina sighed.

"I'm not going Aiko. I'm not going to listen to any more of his twisted truths and self-righteousness. I don't care what he has to say. He can rot in hell for all I care." Getting up and walking over to the large windows. "I'm getting out of here and you're coming with me Aiko." The girl jumped as she was addressed.

"Wh... what! No! You... you can't! Master Jun..."

"I don't care about him. I need to go find my friends and I'm wasting time here. You know the area. I need you to help me find them." Throwing open the curtains, the light spilled in past the redhead. Grinning back at the girl, Kushina motioned for her to follow. "C'mon!" Aiko took a hesitant step forward, lightly shaking her head.

"We can't! Master Jun is expecting you fo dinner. You have to get dressed." The kunoichi frowned and cast a glance at the dress lying on the bed.

"Forget it. I already told you I'm not wearing that _thing_. I'm leaving." She turned back to the windows and pushed on the metal frames. The panes shook but didn't move. Growling in annoyance, the redhead juggled the frame. Nothing. Stepping back, she glared at the offending glass. Freedom was just through those two inches of glass. Taking a deep breath, she threw herself at the window.

Aiko gasped and leapt forward to stop her, arms stretched out in vain. Kushina hit the glass and rebounded, falling to the floor. Her healing shoulder throbbed from the abuse and her head was starting join in the rhythm. Sending a glare at the window, she sat up. "Miss Kushina!"

Small hands grasped her shoulder and warmth flooded into her as a silver light covered the girl's hands. The pain dulled and the hands disappeared. "Are... are you alright Miss Kushina?" The little girl smiled slightly and quickly looked for other injuries. "Please do not do that again Miss Kushina. I... I can't keep healing you." Aiko jumped as if she had been shocked and held her hands up in apology. "Not... not that I mind! It's... It's just..."

"Don't get so worked up Aiko. I get it." She smiled reassuringly at the girl. Mindful of her still healing shoulder, the redhead pushed herself to her feet and brushed herself off. "I guess we'll just have to try the door then." Walking past the young medic, Kushina opened a drawer in the chest against the wall. She moved the stuff around noisily and emptied the contents on the floor. Aiko watched with wide eyes as her patient began her attack on the second drawer.

"Um... Miss... Miss Kushina?" She squeaked in fear as she ducked beneath a heavy book that had been carelessly thrown in her direction. "What... what are you doing?" Her voice hitched in fear. The redhead didn't seem to hear her as she continued to rummage, her face set in frown as whatever she was looking for continued to elude her. "Miss Kushina?" The teen looked up, extra sheets from the drawer in hand. "What are you doing?"

"Looking for something heavy." The matter-of-fact tone made the girl blush with embarrassment.

"Um... Why?"

"So I can smash the bastard's face in." A smile crossed the kunoichi's face as she emptied another drawer. "No one locks up Kushina Uzumaki and gets away with it." She made a sound of excitement as she pulled a large vanity tray from the bottom of the drawer. A wicked smile crossed her face as she took an experimental swing. The metal swished through the air and the smile widened. Satisfied with her impromptu weapon, Kushina strutted over to the door. Aiko made a hesitant grab for her, but only watched helplessly as she walked past.

Silently taking a hold of the handle, Kushina pressed her ear to door and quickly stretched her senses. A grinned pulled at her lips. Two guards. Perfect! Steeling herself, Aiko watched hopelessly as she opened the door and made a swing for the first figure she saw. There was the dull clunk of metal hitting something, a surprised gasp and some quickly spoken words.

Green eyes widened as they met grey. "A vanity tray? I must say, I didn't expect this Love." Feeling her mouth drop open of it own accord, Kushina tried to form words. A suave grin was the result and she felt the vanity tray pulled from her grasp. Weaponless, the redhead built up her chakra and created space between her and the tall man, watching him warily.

What was going on? She had only sensed two people out there, none of them being Jun. And yet, he stood in front of her, smiling charmingly down at her. She was sure she hadn't missed anything, so how had he hidden his chakra from her? If he was so close, she should have been able to sense it even if he was masking it.

The two guards stood behind Jun, waiting for an order from their master. They were nothing spectacular. She would have bene able to get past them if she hadn't run into the man. "Master Jun!" Aiko ran up to him and wrapped her thin arms around his waist, giving him a loving hug. The black-haired man patted her head, but didn't take his eyes off the older girl.

"Is there a problem? You're not dressed yet and dinner will be ready in a few minutes." Kushina scowled.

"I'm not going. Not for all the ramen in the world." She felt her body instinctively lower into a crouch, ready to dodge any incoming attacks. Jun however, just chuckled and waved off the two guards behind him. The nodded and closed the door, returning to their posts.

"You've got spirit Miss Uzumaki." He placed the tray on top of the chest and smiled amiably at her. "Very well. If you are so adamant, I will have the servants bring your dinner here. I thought you would have wished to get out of this room, though without having to attack my men." He sat down in the armchair she had occupied earlier and motioned for her to join him. "I still wish to speak to you however. If you don't mind Love."

She snorted. "I do mind. I don't give a damn about what you have to say." Leaning against the wall, she folded her arms and glared at the man. Little Aiko watched the exchange with wide eyes. She inched over to Jun and stood by his arm. He smiled at her and motioned for her to sit on his lap. She beamed and crawled onto his long legs. The change in her demeanor around the man surprised Kushina as she watched the exchange in wonder.

"I wish you wouldn't look at me like that Love. I haven't done anything to deserve your hate and it wounds me to see it when you look at me."

" Haven't done anything! It was your men who attacked my village and slaughtered my people! You didn't do anything to stop them. You're the one that's been sending your troops out to battlefield to kill my friends and family. It was your men that started this whole damn war!" Aiko snuggled into the general's chest as the irate redhead's voice climbed in volume.

"I suppose Debiru told you that. Yes. I can see it in your face." He sighed and shook his head in pity. "The men who attacked your village were criminals that Debiru and the rest of the council freed from a life of prison and put in the military. It was their idea to send them to the area around Whirlpool. They knew full well that they wouldn't listen to orders, but convinced the honorable Tsuchikage otherwise. I don't know what they had planned, but hundreds of lives were destroyed because of it. If anyone is to blame for the destruction of Whirlpool, it is Debiru. He has lied to you about everything. He was just using you and your friends to help him overthrow the Tsuchikage. It was the council that made the decision to attack, not me. I did not hold that much power.

"This war has opened my eyes however. I now see the corruption of the nations' governments and officials. I now see the evil slowly destroying our world. It has infected the people and society is crumbling. Take dear Aiko here. Shortly after her birth, her parents abandoned her and she was forced to live off the streets at such a young age. People beat and shunned her because of what she was, a street rat . I found her and took her in only a few months ago, after she had been on the streets for ten years."

Kushina looked at the girl seated in Jun's lap, trying to disappear into the folds of his robes. She could see the scars from the beatings, she had noticed them when she first woke up. Anger bubbled up in side her. Who could harm such a wonderful little girl? The fading bruises on her arms and legs foretold that someone still got a few good hits in, even away from the dangerous streets.

"We must get rid of the evil! I will not sit and watch as the world destroys itself when I can do something to fight it. I do not enjoy this bloodshed!" His grey eyes burned with life as his fist slammed down on the armrest, startling both of the girls in the room. "I'm fighting to stop this silly war forever. Once the corrupt and evil are gone, the nations will combine and become a utopia. This war is necessary for the salvation of the world! You must see. You will see.

"Forget all the lies you have been told Love. There is only one truth and I have found it. I only wish to reveal it to everyone else. I can help you. You have so much untapped potential. I saw it in the forest. I need your help in my quest for salvation." His eyes met hers and his hand wrapped around Aiko's hand. "You have such a magnificent future ahead of you. Don't ruin it by believing those petty lies." He shifted and Aiko jumped from his lap, bowing slightly to him as he stood, robes spilling around him.

"I wish to train you in swordsmanship. You can already deftly handle shinobi weapons. Your skill would greatly improve however if you knew how to wield a sword. I will be down in the training grounds tomorrow morning. A servant will come to lead you if wish to learn." He bowed and planted a swift kiss on her hand, flashing her a suave smile as he left.

Kushina stood in uncharacteristic silence as she watched him leave. Why did he continue to throw her world for a loop? Her mind was abuzz with information, whether true or not. The door closed and there was a soft click. Shoving off the wall, she slammed into the door. She pounded on the door, shoulder protesting the action and knuckles turning red. "Let me out you bastard!"

"I'm sorry I must take these measures, but you leave me no choice Love. We cannot risk you trying to escape again and hurting my men. Dinner will be up in a bit. Good night Love."

With a screech, the redhead threw herself at the door again, the hinges groaning. Her pounding became furious. "Don't call me that!"

* * *

Sweat rolled own her brow and she impatiently wiped it away before it dropped into her eyes and blurred her vision. Spitting into the dusty ground, she saw the spittle and blood mix with the dirt. Her arm screamed in pain and she was pretty sure she had a mild concussion. Little rivulets of blood trickled down her skin from numerous cuts and she knew she must look like a giant bruise.

All this from an hour of training.

The injuries didn't bother as much as the fact that her opponent didn't have a scratch on him. She hadn't seen a bead of sweat on his chiseled features since they had started this sparring match.

Damn him.

With a shout, she charged at him, sword ready to attack. He easily dodged and blocked the next attack as he had done with the rest of her attacks. It hadn't taken her long to realize that Jun was a master in swordsmanship. The piece of metal seemed like an extension of his arm where hers seemed to have a mind of its own and just wildly swung at him. It was a miracle she had been able to fend off the monster in the forest with the little amount of skill she had.

"Do not get distracted Miss Uzumaki. That is the easiest way to die in a battle, whether with a sword or otherwise." He executed a complex sequence of moves that drove her back and pulled the katana from her hand. She landed with a grunt and felt the cold tip of his sword pressed to her collarbone. "Kill." The sword was removed and grey eyes sparkled with amusement. "Really Love, is this the best you can do? We have much to work on before you can pose a threat."

"Shut up! Just get on with it!" Jun chuckled and held out his hand for her. She looked at it with disgust and slapped it away. "I don't want your help. I could kill you right now."

"That may be, but you won't. You may not want it, but you need my help, just as I need yours. If you were to kill me, getting out of here and finding your friends would become even more difficult. You're also curious. That is why you came here this morning." He offered her her fallen sword. "Now when you're trying to block that attack, hold you sword at this angle and the blow will deflect to the side, leaving you an opening." He showed her how, positioning her arm and body accordingly. Her skin itched with his touch and she longed to pull away as his form pressed close to hers. "Good. Now again."

He preform the same sequence and she followed his instructions. The final attack slid off her blade and his side was left open for attack. She grinned and quickly thrust the weapon at the man. He danced around it with expertise though and looked approvingly at her. Despite her hate for the man, she felt her pride swell at the silent praise. Jun began to show her another defensive technique when the doors leading out of the grounds opened.

"Master Jun." A servant trotted over to the man and bowed deeply. "Sir, you wished to know when we found out anything about the monster's attack three days ago. Yamamoto is waiting down in the study for you."

"Very well. I'll be there in a minute." He turned to face her and smiled. "I am sorry Love. It seems I need to cut this session short. I'll be here tomorrow, same time." He looked over at the servant and called for two guards. "Please take Miss Uzumaki to her room. Don't try and cause any trouble now Love." The man left with wave of his robes, but Kushina paid him no heed.

The monster's attack. Three days ago.

Three days ago, they had crossed the border into the Stone Country. Three days ago, she had been separated from the others and attacked by the monster.


	10. Monster

Hey guys. I finally finished the chapter! Yeah! This is my last-day-of-summer gift. Though I think a lot of you are already in school. Oops! Anyway, I start school tomorrow so expect updates to be very slow. Wah! I don't have the time to correct any mistakes right now (that seems to be happening a lot now) so sorry for the horrible grammar and spelling. Anyway I hope you guys enjoy this.

Oh! And if any of you are Ben 10 fans I just started a new fic in the fandom. I know I should have been workign on this, but it was plot bunny that wouldn't go away.

I don't own Naruto nor am I making money from this. Trust me. I'm broke.

* * *

Chapter 10:

Monster

Gritting her teeth so hard she could hear them crack, Kushina swung her sword, intercepting the incoming attack with ease. "Tell me you bastard!" Jun sighed and looked at her.

"I have already told you everything I know. It is you who just refuses to believe me." He shoved her next attack away like he would an annoying fly and aimed a thrust at her shoulder. Unable to block in time, she threw herself to the ground and rolled away before he could redirect his attack.

"Shut up! I know you're lying, so just give up the charade! What happened to my friends?" The redhead grunted as she blocked the next attack and parried. "What have you done with them?" Her body instantly went through a sequence of attacks, her rage fueling them. She had the satisfaction of seeing the general's eyes widen before the man controlled his expression.

The last two days had followed the same order: get up, eat, demand Jun tell her what had happened to her companions, fight with the man, have Aiko heal her wounds, go to sleep, repeat. And still, she hadn't learned anything about what Jun's men had found in the forest. The man seemed to be enjoying her anger at being left in the dark, sadistic bastard that he was. There was one good thing about this though. As her anger increased, the faster she learned. The need to kill the man in front of her grew everyday.

She did get some satisfaction out of these fights though. The black-haired man was starting to walk away with rips and tears in his clothing more and more. She had yet to land a hit but she could feel her skill increasing. She was till nowhere near Jun's ability, but she would be able to hold her own now in a normal fight.

Ducking beneath a horizontal swipe, she pushed herself toward her opponent, sword tearing through cloth as she swung. A foot came out of nowhere and slammed into her temple. Biting her lip to keep from crying out, she hit the dirty ground and rolled, blinking to rid her vision of the circles dotting her vision. The sound of a sword hitting ground made her turn faster. Using her momentum, she used her free hand an pushed off the ground. She backpedaled away from Jun until she could regain her balance.

The next attack came fast and hard, her arm shaking from the force. The general twisted his sword into a complex series of moves, shallow cuts appearing almost magically on her bare arms. Thrusting her sword upward, she deflected the attack for her neck and struck out with her fist. The fist brushed against the unblemished skin of his face. Grinning at the frustrated look that flashed across her opponent's face, she crouched and pivoted on her heel.

Jumping over her extended leg, Jun flipped away from her diagonal swing. A grin pulled at her chapped lips. She might not be the best with a sword, but she could take down any sucker with her fists when she got mad enough. "Tell me what your men found out about my friends and the monster before I gut you." A sly smile crossed Jun's face as he walked calmly toward her.

"You're getting better Love. Much better. You might actually beat me in a year or so." Ignoring him, she released a battle cry and slashed at him. Jun easily sidestepped and pulled her sword from her, tripping her in the process. The tip of his landed at her navel, the cool metal sending shivers up her spine. "Kill." He removed the sword point and offered her his hand. Glaring at him, she smacked away the appendage and growled.

"Bastard! I will find them. And when I do, I'll make sure you burn in hell for what you've done." The tall man didn't say anything, but continued to stare at her.

"Is there nothing I can do to make you understand that I am not the one out to hurt you? What can I do to make you believe me?" His grey eyes looked imploringly into hers.

"Tell me the truth. I want to know what really happened to my friends, why you attacked my village, why you killed the council members, why you kept me alive! Tell me that!" He was silent for a moment, watching her carefully as she fumed.

"I have already told you. I will continue to tell you. I thought I might be able to convince you without using drastic measures, but it appears I was wrong. You will not believe me until you see proof will you." The redhead kept quiet, glaring at him with fiery green eyes. "No. I should have known you wouldn't be swayed so easily." Sighing despairingly, he motioned for the two guards at the door to come over. They bowed deeply then straightened, waiting for instructions.

"Please go tell Yamamoto that I will be coming down in a few minutes and I will be bringing a guest." One of the guards nodded and disappeared with a soft popping sound. Jun nodded to the last one who took a pair of handcuffs out of his pouch. Kushina instantly tensed and backed away.

"What are you up to? Whatever it is, I don't want any part in it."

"I know you don't. I personally do not want you to see this either, but if it the only the only way to make you believe me, then I must. Now please don't struggle Love. Until we are sure you won't hurt anyone, we must make sure you are restrained." Scoffing, the redhead glared at the guard who roughly bound her hands behind her, going out of his way to twist her arm more than necessary.

"'Until'? There will never be a time when I won't want to cut your head off." Jun looked at her for a moment, sadness in his eyes before he looked away. "Where are you taking me? What are you going to do you bastard?"

"I'm going to give you proof that what I've been telling you the truth this entire time." A low growl reverberated at the back of her throat.

"I doubt that because they aren't dead."

* * *

The corridor was cold and damp.

The group had traveled down several flights of steps, the temperature dropping with each story. If she was correct, they had traveled about five storied beneath the ground. Instead of the lavish and gaudy decorations and furniture that she had come to expect in Jun's house, the walls were rough rock, the chisel marks still visible in the dim light. The only light was the few lanterns along the rocky ground.

It looked and felt like she had jumped into a horror story and was walking to her death. Glaring at the man in flowing robes in front of her, she scowled. Even if this was just a trick so they could lure her away from witnesses and kill her in a secluded spot, she wouldn't go down without a fight. She'd go down kicking and screaming. Maybe she'd even be able to wipe that disgusting smirk off Jun's face. Caught up in her fantasizing, the redhead didn't notice they had turned down an adjacent hallway until she heard the noise.

A horrible whine reverberated throughout the entire hallway. The sound of something scraping against metal made her wince. "Just ignore it Love. It'll be over soon."

"What is that thing?" The general ignored her and continued down the hallway. Her guard pushed her roughly in the small of her back, making her stumble. Growling at him, she moved to hit him but remembered her hands were tied behind her back. Sighing, the kunoichi stomped after her captor. "Of course! Why did I even bother asking?"

"You are far to curious to your own good Love. That curiosity may be the end of you one day." The dark-haired man chuckled and stopped at a metal door. His face instantly became somber as he faced her. "Are you still sure you want to see this my dear? I would much rather you don't."

"That's cause you're lying. Forget it bastard! My friends are alive," she smirked at him, "and I'm sure that is driving you crazy right now. Face it. You love being in charge and knowing exactly what is happening. Is that why you killed the council? Because they wouldn't tell you what they were doing?"

Jun chuckled and shook his head. "You have been like this since the news about your friends came . Why won't you believe me? The council was planing on overthrowing the Tsuchikage. Debiru and his companions wanted to rule the world. They were evil and needed to be destroyed." The look on his face said that she wasn't getting any more information, and he turned to open the door.

A scrawny old, bespeckled man who must be Yamamoto greeted them, bowing respectfully to Jun and scrutinized her appraisingly. A blush rose to her cheeks before she could squash it down. Damn old man was a lecher. He grinned at her and motioned for them to follow him. The old geezer lead them through a labyrinth os passageways, all lined with more metal doors. She soon was lost.

The smell of dead and rotting flesh assailed her nostrils and made her stomach clench. They were definitely in whatever sick morgue Jun had down here. Demanding her stomach to stop trying to reacquaint her with her lunch, she carefully watched the two men in front of her, making sure to check on the guard behind her. If they were planning on killing, this would be the perfect place. The only witnesses were corpses. They could make up some shit about how her death had been an accident, and no one would be the wiser.

"You don't have to be so tense Love. We're not going to do anything to you." She quirked an eyebrow at the man and then looked pointedly at the elder whose hands were twitching in a way that made her question his sanity. Jun noticed her look and chuckled and gave her his charming smile. "You do not need to worry about him. He's harmless."

Yamamoto motioned for them to keep moving and continued to lead them through the maze of hallways. It was a while until he finally opened a door for them. He let them step in first before stepping in himself. Kushina felt her heart.

Before them, on examination tables, three figures were shrouded in white cloths form head to foot. Jun nodded to the guard who took her hands and slowly unlocked the chains around her wrists. Free, she walked to the first table. Hesitantly, she pulled at the cloth. Her breath hitched in her throat.

The face was torn and bloody. The skin was shredded and hanging off the bone in clumps. Muscle, bone, and tissue could be seen through the hole in the skin. The remaining amber eyeball hung uselessly from its socket. The rest of the body was the same, teeth and claw marks tearing the skin. Its bones were broken and mangled. Blood covered what was left of the man's clothes. It was obvious he had not died a peaceful death.

The other two were similar, torn and bloody. However, she could see familiar, defining features on each. A scar over one eye, blond hair, amber eye. Her brain shut down as the implications flooded her mind. Jun muttered something and she faintly heard the door close. Her hand reached out and took Ryou's cold one. A sob ripped out of her throat and she collapsed on the ground.

No. No. No. No. No. No! NO!

She didn't know how much time had passed, her eyes staring blindly at the three figures. There were to many similarities for them to be fakes. She could see the faint scar that Minato had given himself when trying to improve his famous jutsu. There was a fading bruise she had given him during one of their spars. Ryou's body had his birthmark at the nape of his neck that he used to claim looked like Hokage mountain though no one else could see it.

She paused. Something wasn't right. Her eyes widened and she took a closer look at the bodies.

"You seem to able to handle death pretty well girl. We could use someone like you down here." Frowning, Kushina tried to remember when she had heard the door open. Turning to face the old man, she glared.

"I've seen enough death in this damn war to last me a lifetime. I've gotten pretty good at telling when something's dead too." She crossed her arms over her chest and studied the man's face. "These bodies can't be dead because they've never been alive." The twitching man looked at her in surprise then grinned.

"You're very good girl. Not even Master Jun can tell the difference. These are as good as real to him, and he's seen about as much death as you can. I thought these were my best creations yet. Where did I go wrong?" His smile sent chills down her spine, but kept her glare in place.

"The smell. They don't smell because they aren't decaying. If they were out in the forest for as long as you say they were, they'd be starting to reek by now." Yamamoto let loose a howl of laughter and clapped his hands.

"Very good girl. I'm impressed. You're pretty smart." He moved to quickly for her to see. One moment he was across the room, the next her was behind her, holding her arms behind her in a grasp she wouldn't have expected of the old man. "I'd love to see what makes you tick. It's been forever since I've worked on a live specimen that could speak. I miss the begging and screaming." His cold fingers traced a line down her neck. "And you're so pretty too girl. I'd love to take you apart."

A surgical knife appeared in his hand and her dragged it over her skin. The kunoichi gasped at the unexpected pain and struggled to release her arms. The man sliced the knife along her healing shoulder and sighed. 'Your blood is such a lovely shade my dear." He dabbed his finger in the wound and brought it to his mouth, licking it off. "Now hold still girl. It's no fun if the experiment fights back."

Growling in frustration, the redhead kicked back, hitting the man's shin. He howled in pain and released her. Jumping into the air, she twisted and slammed her heel into his temple. Yamamoto crashed int the metal wall and slumped to the ground, blood trickling out of her mouth. "You shouldn't have done that girl. Now I'm mad and I tend to make mistakes when I'm mad." He flung the surgical knife at her and she dropped down to avoid it.

Grabbing the handle to the door, she pushed and flew into the hallway. Slamming the door behind her, Kushina took off running. Her shoulder and neck throbbed and she could feel th blood gush down her arm.

They were still alive! They were alive! If they weren't here than the had escaped. Her soul jumped for joy and she almost forgot about the crazed man chasing her. Now she just had to get out of here so she could find them. She wouldn't have to deal with Jun or his insane henchmen anymore.

Adrenaline pumped through her body and her legs smacked against the floor as she ran. It didn't matter that she had absolutely no idea where she was going. This was her chance to escape and she wasn't about to 'look a gift horse in the mouth' as the saying went. Pounding down the hall she slide around the corner, hitting the wall in the process. Her arm shrieked at the abuse, but she ignored it.

The corridors blurred. She couldn't remember if she had taken a left or a right at this hallway or if she had gone straight. Frustration made her scream in anger. This stupid maze of halls was keeping her from freedom. All she had to do was find the exit and she could navigate the expanse house above her easily.

The sound of footsteps behind her, sent another batch of adrenaline through her veins. No way was she letting that psycho catch her. Ripping open a door, she slipped inside and slammed it behind her. She didn't expect the sudden onslaught of noise. Spinning on her heel, she crouched into a defensive stance.

Hundreds of cages lined the walls. Roars, hisses, screeches, and growls reverberated throughout the small and dimly lit hallway. Glowing and hungry eyes stared out at her, watching her every move. Crouching down by the nearest cage, she looked into it.

The animal was shaped like a monkey, hunched over in the corner of the cage. It noticed her and growled at her. Flinging itself at her, its large hands grabbed at her. Red eyes glared at her. Spines grew out of its vertebrae and were covered with a dripping liquid. It smashed its body against the bars to try and reach her. She flung herself away from it. A grotesque human face screamed at her.

Glancing around her, she backpedaled until she was up against the door. Her heart pounded in her chest as the monkey thing continued to screech. Everything. Everything in here was like something out of a nightmare, all limbs and figures warped. All had crazed faces for a head, just like the Manticore.

Hands and claws reached out for her and she stared at the cages. What kind of people would do this kind of thing? She could hear the footsteps outside the door, and she silently steeled herself. Taking a deep breath, she ran past the cages and around the corner. She skidded to a stop as another cage loomed over her.

The creature inside looked at her with cold eyes. It's large body stretched out over the floor. With a growl, the creature got up and walked over to her. A Manticore. Not the same as the one in the forest, but she would never forget the lithe body and deadly claws. The human face was tortured though. It came up to the bars and looked at her with sad eyes. Black hair fell around the face and a small scar across its cheek seemed white in the light.

No. Staring at the creature, she subconsciously took a step back. No. Her hair twirled around her as she shook her head. No.

"Hideki." The eyes met hers again. She carefully reached out a hand and held his chin in her hand. His eyes snapped from hers and to behind her. A low growl resounded against the metal walls.

"He really is magnificent isn't he? He's by far the smartest of the lot. Your friend seems to have retained a bit of himself during the experiment. It's truly extraordinary." Yamamoto smiled at her. "He's such a good listener too. You want to see?" The grin became wicked and held up a remote control in his hand. "Kill her." Her pressed the button and the doors to the cage swung open.

Turning back to face Hideki, she was greeted by glowing red eyes and a feral snarl.


	11. Forsaken

Hey guys! Long time no see. I'm sorry this has taken so long. Life has been extrememly busy for me and I just haven't had the inspiration or energy to write anything. It finally took a sick day for me to sit and write it. Thanks to ContrastingDeath and PeanutAngel whose emails finally got me to sit down and write something. Check out some of their fics.

Also, there _will_ be mistakes. I don't have the attention span to check it right now nor will I for another week or so. I figured a messy chapter is better than no chapter right? Anyway, sorry! Tell me what you think. I hope you enjoy.

I have no claims on Naruto.

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Chapter 11:

Forsaken

Kushina could see everything at once.

The large barred gate slowly swinging open as if to prolong the suspense, groaning with disuse but opening all the same.

Yamamoto smirking at her, excitement sparkling in his beady eyes. The remote was still held in his hand.

The mutated mixes of humans and animals shrieked and pounded on the bars of their cages, red eyes glued tot he two humans.

And finally, the mutated form of Hideki, growling at her and getting ready to pounce, bloodlust glowing in his eyes.

"I know how much Master Jun wanted to keep you girly, but I'm afraid you've seen too much to live now. We can't have you leaking our nasty little secrets now could we?" Kushina sent a quick glare at the man, but didn't take her attention off the beast in front of her.

Hideki crouched on all fours, tail swinging with eagerness. A sadistic grin pulled at his crooked lips, revealing sharp teeth that hadn't been there when he was a man. The redhead quickly weighed her choices. Try and get past the mad scientist behind her who was more than eager to use her as an experiment or try and fight the deformed monster that had once been a companion. A bead of sweat trailed down her temple. Neither option held much hope as it were.

Taking a deep breath, she stared into the red eyes of the creature in front of her, trying to find some semblance of the strict man she had once known. "Hideki. Snap out of it. You're better than this. You don't have to listen to him." A deep chuckle made her stop.

"You misunderstood me girly. When I said he retain a bit of himself, I meant he wasn't completely an animal. He can think and plan, but he doesn't remember anything about his life before he became the beautiful creature he is today. He is the closest to our goal that we have gotten. He is the perfect weapon. All the others just killed everything in their path. You should be proud of your friend girly."

"Bastard!" Her angry cry was accented by a roar that made all the other experiments stop their yelling. Hideki finally leapt, his muscles corded. The kunoichi felt her body freeze as the giant from of the beast come at her. Fangs flashed in the poor light.

Kushina grunted as a furry leg paw pushed her aside, claws leaving shallow cuts on her arms and side. Her back snapped as it hit the metal cages. Her breath escaped through her lips and she slumped to the floor, winded. Hands and claws made a grab for her and tried to tug her closer to the owner. Shaking her head, she tore herself from the groping hands and looked at the giant beast.

Hideki barreled past her.

Yamamoto gave a short cry of surprise before the experiment was on top of him. Long claws swung through the air and tore into the wrinkled flesh of the scientist. He chocked in pain as the paw finished its blow, tearing the man in half. The two pieces of Yamamoto hit the wall with a sickening slap and the creatures yelped in pleasure as the mutilated body fell into the cages. Kushina felt her stomach turn as ripping and snapping sounds came from the blood- drenched cages.

Hideki growled and turned in the small space to face her, fangs beared in a growl. Yamamoto had been right. He was the perfect weapon, able to think and plan his attack so that his kill would be the best. He had gotten rid of the person who was closest to the door and knew the area first, leaving the hurt and lost person for last.

Pushing herself to her feet, she glared levelly at the creature. She knew that without any weapon, the odds of her surviving were low, but she wasn't going to be knocked off as easily as Yamamoto had just been. Gathering her chakra, she let her finger slip through the memorized signs. "Shadow Clone Jutsu." The usual enthusiasm she had when preforming one of her favorite jutsus was missing. A sudden emptiness had befallen her and she couldn't find the will to fight, because to fight would mean kill one of her companions or be killed, and she wasn't about to die.

"I'm sorry Hideki, but I'm not about to loose." Her voice was echoed by the clones, all with the same serious expression on their faces. The beast's expression didn't change as it crouched to attack. The five Kushinas did the same.

With a roar that made her ears ring, Hideki launched himself at her.

Without a weapon, Kushina had nothing to fend off the monster's attack. Throwing herself to the ground and rolling, she saw the large form of the beast soar over her head. There were two soft pops as two clones didn't move in time to survive. The other two had followed their creator and watched as Hideki slide across the ground as he landed and twisted to face her. Cursing herself for not being able to find another way, the redhead turned and bolted, kicking the door open. It may be cowardly to run, but dying here wasn't going to help anyone, especially herself.

Landing in a crouch as the door swung open and slammed against the stone walls, she pushed off and began her flight through the maze-like halls. She could hear a set of footsteps behind and peaked over her shoulder at one of her two remaining clones. She hadn't heard or felt it disappear so it must have gone the other way to distract the creature fro as long as it could. There was another roar that resounded off the walls and echoed down the hall. Kushina gasped as the memories of the clone rushed back to her. Fear clenched her heart as the feeling of her body being torn apart made her skin tingle. Her clones deaths had never really bothered her, but the sight of Hideki's deformed face coming down on her made another batch of adrenaline leak into her system. Her pace quickened.

She needed to get out of here. The halls were too small for her to make any serious effort at fighting the monster and there was no way she was opening another door. The only guarantee was to get out of this labyrinth and into the open air.

Blood trickled down her arm from her neck and shoulder wound. At least the psycho was gone. Having to worry about running into Hideki or Yamamoto would have given her grey hairs. Though, she wouldn't be surprised if she walked away from this whole ordeal without a single strand of red hair.

She passed by an intersection and jumped as another roar made dust and rocks fall from the ceiling. She involuntarily gasped as her last clone disappeared, razor-sharp teeth tearing the head from the torso. Her head pounded and her lungs burned, pleading with her to stop, but she knew very well what would happen if she so much as turned around. The sound of giant paws slamming against the ground warned her of the incoming attack.

Pain shot through her calf and she bit her lip to keep from screaming in pain. Her left leg gave out as the muscles and tendons were torn and shredded. Twisting to land on her back, she felt the skin scrape across the rough ground as she slid away from the next attack. Hands flying before her, she held one out toward Hideki. "Water Needle Jutsu!" The water in the heavy air congealed and sharpened into a wall of needles. They shot forward and imbedded themselves in the creature's touch skin. It roared in pain and thrashed in an attempt to dislodge them.

Using the precious few seconds, Kushina jumped to her feet and forced her leg to support her, hobbling down the hallway. The sound of the beast banging in the wall was accompanied by another shower of dust and rocks. Turning the next corner, the redhead didn't know whether to sign in relief or cry in frustration.

She had finally found the stairs leading up to the mansion, but the hundreds of stairs seemed to stretch into the horizon. Her leg throbbed just looking at it. The tunnel was tighter than the hallways and the doorways would stop the beast from getting her easily. A snarl behind her gave her the needed incentive to start the climb. She bit down a cry of pain as her feet pounded up the steps. There was a crack as the deformed form of Hideki threw itself against the small doorframe preventing it from following her up the stairs. The kunoichi was knocked to her feet and chanced a glance over her shoulder.

Hideki's face stared angrily up at her. The beast paced outside the stairway, trying to find a way to follow its prey. A feral gin crossed his face as he bent down and bit into the doorframe. There was a horrible screech as the frame was torn off the wall and the opening was widened. Crouching, the creature crawled into the small space, eyes glowing with bloodlust.

Cursing in every way she knew, she pushed herself to her feet and began her climb up the stairs. She needed to get to the top before Hideki got too close to give her time to run. Once the monster reached the top, there was no way she would be able to outrun it with her leg barely working as it was.

A light filled the tunnel as she neared the top and she felt tears form in her eyes. She would finally get out of this place and find Minato and Ryou! Her feet hit the glossy floor and she skidded across the smooth surface. Scuffling could be heard near the mouth of the stairway. It was only a matter of time before Hideki was free of the confined space.

Limping down the hall, her green eyes flashed around in an attempt to find a weapon. She had seen several swords displayed on the wall in one of the rooms, but the odds of her finding that exact room were dismal.

A roar made her swivel on her feet. All the blood drained from her face. The monster had finally gotten out and was watching her with a smug smile.

This was it. It was either fight or die. There was no turning back.

Face grim, Kushina tensed and moved into a defensive stance. Hideki crouched and growled. They're eyes locked for a moment and Kushina's resolve hardened. She wasn't fighting Hideki anymore. There wasn't anything human left in the monster.

They leapt at each other.

Teeth flashed and Kushina kicked the bottom of the gruesome jaw. The head snapped up with a sickening crack and the kunoichi sucked in a shaky breath as she landed on her bad leg. A giant paw swiped at her, but she pressed herself against the ground and let it fly over her. Her hand flew up and punched one of the points in the monster's joints The beast roared in pain and back away from her, favoring his front leg. Kushina grinned grimly. Ryou had taught her that trick in case she ever went against something she couldn't beat in hand-to-hand combat. She had scoffed at him at the time. Next time she saw him she would make sure to thank him for it.

She rolled as the beast threw itself at her. Unlike last time, it made sure to drag its back paws near the ground. The sharp claws tore into her skin and left a trail of blood smeared on the ground. It really was learning. The dodge wouldn't work again. Kneeling on the ground, she glared at the monster.

The next roar made several of the decorations on the walls fall t the floor with a crash. The redhead flipped over the low swipe and brought her knee to the monster's temple. It clamped down on her injured leg and flung her into the air. She twisted away from the shining teeth as she came back down and landed another punch on the same joint.

The leg collapsed and the beast slammed to the floor. Groaning, Kushina glared at her left leg. The lim was covered in blood and the skin and muscle was so torn she could see the white of bone. A wry grin pulled at her lips. It figures that when she crippled her opponent, she would be crippled too.

The only difference between the two was that she only had one leg left while the creature had three. Whining in pain, the beast stood on its three remaining legs and snarled at her, the expression messing with the twisted human face.

Gritting her teeth, Kushina wobbled to her foot, the other hanging uselessly on the ground. The beast limped over to her and stared. "You want me you ugly fucked-up experiment? Come and get me." The monster growled and lunged at her, mouth ready to tear her head from her body. She fell to the ground and kicked out at its knee. It jumped away and snarled.

It lunged at her again and she threw herself to its side, letting it fly past her. The beast had expected her movement though and the spiked tail lashed out at her. Her eyes widened and she held her arms out in a vain attempt to avoid the attack.

Three spikes punctured her skin and she felt the poison leak into her blood system. Ripping her arms away from the needles, she grabbed one and tugged with her remaining strength. There was a snap and a sucking sound as the spike broke off from the tail. Liquid splashed onto her and she guessed it was a mixture of blood and poison. Her skin burned from the poison, but she ignored the pain as the monster roared in pain and whipped around to face her. With all her might, she took the spike and threw it at the beast's head. With no leg to stop its momentum, the creature couldn't stop as its movement brought it right into the spikes path.

The projectile sliced through the air and pierced through the monster's throat. It froze and stared at her, hackles bared. The monster finally swayed and collapsed, a pool of blood collecting around its head. Kushina stared for a moment, letting her breathing even out. Hopping over to the head, she knelt down to check for any sign of life. The creature was deathly still and her hand hovered over the scarred human face.

Bright eyes opened and stared at her. She jumped backward, but the monster didn't move. The glowing red pupils darkened and the fierce snarl turned into a pained sorrow. Hideki looked back at her. The torn mouth opened and closed, a sharp whisper passing through the thin lips. "Get out of here Uzumaki. Get back to our people in Konoha." He took in a harsh breath and his eyes glazed over. "Rebuild Whirlpool. Rebuild our people and honor those you lost their lives that day." Blood poured from the wound in his neck and he gazed into her eyes. "You've fulfilled your promise Uzumaki. Ryoichi would have been proud. I'm sorry." The light died form his eyes and Kushina gaped at the corpse in front of her.

Sighing, the redhead leaned forward and closed the lifeless eyes. "Thank you." Biting her lip, she stood up and limped over to the wall, leaning against it for support.

"The prisoner has escaped! Warn Master Jun!" Her head snapped up and looked down the hallway, footsteps resounding in the cavernous hall. Cursing her luck, she hobbled over to the nearest door and pushed it open.

Several people turned to face her. She didn't care however, her eyes focusing on the little dirty-blond girl laying on the examining table, wires attached to her forehead, next to set of computers. Images of the distorted experiments flashed across her mind's eye and she growled. "What are you doing? Get away from her!" Despite her injuries, she sprinted over to Aiko.

A hand clamped down on the pressure point at her and her world darkened.

"I'm sorry to do this Love, but you give me no choice. It seems that you are far too much trouble."

* * *

She guessed she should feel special. After all, how many people could say they got an entire dungeon and a dozen guards to themselves?

Kushina made sure to put much as hate as she could into the glare she sent a passing guard. The man just sneered and walked by. Grunting in annoyance, the redhead lightly hit her head on the wall behind her back. She hated these new guards. No matter what she said or did, she couldn't get anything out of them. Not that she could do much anyway, chained to the wall.

So much for her escape plan. She had only gotten halfway, if even that. The bastard Jun was still alive and planning his war while she was stuck in some dungeon, unable to do anything to stop him. She hit her head against the wall again, this time harder. "Idiot! You should have kicked his ass when you had the chance."

"Please...please stop th... that Miss Kushina. You'll h... hurt yourself again!" The girl watched her with wide eyes, fear for the kunoichi evident in the pale blue pupils.

"Sorry Aiko. I just need a good smack in the head." The girl didn't seem convinced and wrung her fingers nervously. Kushina's gaze softened. There was just something about the girl that made the redhead feel an intense desire to protect her. "Why are you here anyway? It's not the most exciting place to be."

"I don't mind. You... you're actually the first person to ever be nice to me beside the boss. Everyone else th...thinks I'm a freak. Plus... it's nice to have someone to talk too fro once. I miss you." The girl nibbled on the piece of bread one of the guards had given her. Kushina gazed pitifully at the young girl. When she had woken up a day ago, Kushina had found herself partially healed and bound in the cell. It turned out that she had seen too much for Jun to have her among other people.

Aiko had come in after a few hours with food and continued to heal the wounds the redhead had acquired in her escape attempt. The little girl came in every few hours to visit, must to the ire of the guards. The poor girl had been terrified when she had first come down here. She smiled fondly at the blond.

"Same. Especially these guards are about as interesting as lecture on mud. No entertainment whatsoever!" The blond girl giggled and picked at her food again. "Aiko?" The girl looked up at her, a questioning look in her clear and intelligent eyes. "What were they doing to you?"

The medic averted her gaze and picked at her food again. "I... I can't tell you. Master Jun ordered my not too." Ksuhian gritted her teeth. Bastard!

One of the guards passed and kicked at the girl. "Time's up brat. Get up and leave before I kick you out."

"Shut up asshole! She's a little kid. Don't you have any sympathy or you as stupid as your bastard boss up there?" The guard banged on the bars with his sword, the noise hurting Kushina's ears.

"Watch it bitch, before I accidently gut you." He waved the sword threateningly into the cell, the tip leaving light cuts across her skin. He gave Aiko another good kick before her walked away, chuckling to himself. The blond pulled herself up and wiped her eyes. Kushina was surprised to see raw determination shine in her blue eyes.

* * *

Kushina chocked down the groan that threatened to escape her lips. Aiko had fallen asleep outside the cell and the redhead had no desire to wake her. Her internal clock was so messed up in this room. By what she learned from Aiko's visits to the cell, it should be somewhere near midnight. However, with nothing else to do but talk to Aiko and sleep, her body was protesting against the large amount of sleep. Kushina had to give Jun credit. For someone as active as her, this was the worst type of punishment, to be strapped down and not allowed to move.

A guard passed by without so much as a glance into her cell. She almost felt sorry for the poor suckers, stuck down here with only one prisoner to watch. But then again, 'almost' didn't make her sympathetic towards them. It was their fault working for that bastard.

Kushina looked around for something to do, but her only mean of entertainment was currently asleep and , as she said before, waking her was not one of her options. Deciding to see if her bonds had loosened for the hundredth time, she pulled at the chains bonding her to the wall. Forgetting about her decision to not wake the little girl, the redhead thrashed against her bonds, chains rattling. One of the guard reluctantly came over to her cage, banging on the bars. Aiko stirred and blinked owlishly at the guard.

He banged on the bars again and glared at Kushina. "You bitch! Shut up! If I hear one more thing form you I'll make sure the rest of your life is a living..." The guard jumped, body tense. Kushina looked at him curiously waiting for him to finish his threat, when Aiko screamed. The man's eyes rolled up into his head and blood trickled out of his mouth, a kunai protruding from his throat.

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I'm sorry! I just adore writing cliff-hangers! I'll now go into hiding for a year or two! Bye! Haha!


	12. Unite

Hey guys. I'm sick so this going to be short.

Sorry this took so long especially when the last chapter wasn't very progressive. I think that chhaged with this chapter. This was actually the only chapter where most of it came from the first version of prophecy. So if something doesn't make sense, please tell me. I'm pretty sure I got most of the unrelated stuff out. Hopefully you all enjoy it.

I don't make any claims on anything from Naruto. I only own the plot and the OCs.

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Chapter 12

Unite

There was a spilt second where the world seemed to slow down. The guard's eyes rolled into the back of his head and a drop of blood slowly crawled over his lips and down his chin. The tip of a kunai ripped through the tender skin in his neck, blood, muscle, and fat flying form the wound. Kushina gapped at the dead man in surprise. Aiko opened and closed her mouth like a fish gasping for water, fear evident in her eyes.

Then everything was thrown into chaos.

The remaining guards noticed their fellow collapse and jumped to their feet. The head of the guards shouted orders to the others setting them up in some strategic plan. They never got the chance. The weak lights in the prison were extinguished, throwing the room into darkness. Aiko screamed and something hit the bars and collapsed. The faint outline of the guard stood still for a moment before slumping into the cell and sliding to the floor, blood pooling around him from his neck.

There were more shouts from the leader and cries of terror. More bodies slumped to the floor, the wet slapping sound of blood soon following. There were clashes as the guards fought off the unseen attacker. Aiko whimpered and pressed herself against the bars of the redhead's cell, trying to get as far away from the fighting as possible. There were more grunts and cries and something hit the ground with a thud. There was a clash relatively close to her prison and a stray kunai embedded itself in her side. Biting her tongue to keep form shouting and possibly turning the attacks on herself, Kushina tried to peer into the darkness with no luck.

She heard Aiko release a sob. "Miss Kushina? What's going..."

"Sh!" The sounds of battle continued for a few more seconds, before silence engulfed the room. Kushina strained her senses to find the attacker, but whoever it was, was excellent at masking their chakra. The blond's outline froze and nodded slightly. The two girls fell silent, both listening for any sign to give away the intruder's position. Blood pumped through the kunoichi's veins and she felt a rush of exhilaration. Whoever it was, they obviously weren't afraid to oppose Jun. This might be her ticket out of here.

A nagging voice in th back of her mind dampened her joy. There was always the option that it wasn't either of them and that the attacker wasn't friendly. Kushina squashed the voice down. She really didn't want to think about that right now. Whatever happened happened. There was nothing she could do to stop it.

The was a shuffle of clothing and both girls tensed. Whoever the attacker was, they were about to find out if he was friendly or not. A gruff voice cursed and the shuffling continued. The person must have found what he was looking for , because the shuffling stopped and a light appeared in the middle of the room. Kushina felt her heart stop. There was no way that voice belonged to either Minato or Ryou. She was caught between calling out fro help or pretending they weren't there.

The light traveled along the empty cells. So whoever was there was looking for someone. Most likely her. Two cells away from her own, the light stopped and the outline put his hand up to his head. He whispered something angrily into a mouthpiece. A wireless device? Someone on the other end shouted at the man, apparently not happy with whatever the intruder had said. Scoffing, the man continued to search the cells. Holding her breath, Kushina prayed to whatever god that would listen, that all her fighting hadn't been for naught.

The light finally came around to her cell and landed on her form. With the light in her eyes, the redhead couldn't make out any features. The man barked excitedly into his mouthpiece and ignored the person on the other line as he bounded forward. It wasn't until the light finally left her that any hope she had of it being one of her friends vanished.

He was a few inches shy of six feet. He had a mane of scruffy black hair and a beard to match. His green eyes were small and made his face seem pudgy. His clothes were made of animal skins, sewn unceremoniously into something resembling a shirt and pants and his heavy boots clicked against the rock floor.. He had a small hunting knife and pouch tied around his waist with a leather belt.

A smile crossed his face as he neared the cell, showing off a row of yellowed and missing teeth. He made to move toward the cage, but was stopped as a small body slammed against his. Kushina watched in amazement as the man stumbled backward from the blow and stared, flabbergasted, at Aiko. "Go away! I won't let you hurt her! I won't let you hurt Miss Kushina!" The girl's eyes were red and her cheeks streaked with tears, but her mouth was screwed into a determined scowl that only little kids could pull off. The blond moved her frail frame in between the redhead's cell and the barbaric man.

"Kid, get out of the way. I'm trying to get her out of there. Unless you have a better idea." Aiko paused but didn't move away. Kushina could hear yelling outside the door and shouts coming from the man's earphone.

"Aiko." The little girl tilted her head so she could see the redhead out of the corner of her eyes while still keeping a watch on the man. Maybe she had been wrong with her first assessment. Aiko might be able to handle herself in a battle if she was given a chance and some training. "It's okay. We don't have time to be picky." The blond looked like she wanted to argue, but stepped aside anyway. Turning to the man, Kushina glared. "If you try anything funny, I'll make sure you won't ever be able to breed your evil spawn." The man just blinked and nodded, taking out a ring of keys from his pouch.

"You don't need to worry. I don't do that kind of thing 'til the second date." He flashed her a smile and fiddled with the lock. "Come to think of it, I don't think we've even had our first date yet. We should get right on that once this is over." He grinned again as he opened the cell. He rushed inside and began to unlock the chains around her wrists. Aiko stood behind him, watching him warily.

"I swear if you try anything..."

"Calm down Red. I won't do anything. You're not exactly my type anyway." Kushina gapped while the man grinned. The chains finally came loose and the redhead dropped to the floor.

"Ryou?" The man grinned and Kushina felt her heart stop. That grin could only ever belonged to the knuckle-headed brunette medic.

"You don't have to act so surprised. I know we're late, but you didn't think we'd just leave you here did you?" The Whirlpool shinobi had never been one for hugging, btu as soon as her arms were released from the chains, she threw herself at the medic. Ryou stumbled at the sudden attack before hesitantly returning the gesture, blush on his face. He coughed and pulled away, quickly looking her over. "Are you alright? Are you hurt?" Kushina shook her head, ignoring the minor cut in her side and aches and pains remaining from her injuries. A look of relief rushed over the man's face, messing with the crude features.

"What the hell happened to you?" The medic grinned again and rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly.

"I'll have Minato explain later. All his seal mumbo-jumbo doesn't make any sense to me. Now come on! We have to go. Minato's injured and from the sounds of it, not making many friends with the Stone nin." His giant hand enveloped hers and pulled her out of the cell. Kushina however, pulled him back and put her hands on her hips.

"Why is he here if he's injured? Don't tell me you were stupid enough to let him come if he was hurt! What am I talking about? Of course you were!" Scoffing, the redhead walked out of the cell and leaned over the dead guard. Taking his sword, she tied it over her shoulder and took his weapon pouch. Motioning for Aiko to follow, she began to walk to the front of the room. "Come on Aiko. You know this place better than any of us. Can you get us out?" The little girl nodded and ran to the door. Ryou just stood in the middle of the room, looking confused.

"I thought we were the ones rescuing you. Since when do you get to lead?"

"Just shut up and follow me idiot!" Sighing, the medic scampered off after the fiery redhead and their young guide.

* * *

Kushina dropped to the ground, the kunai thrown at her throat missing by centimeters. Ryou pulled her close to him and into the shadows of the wall, closing the door into the hall. Aiko crouched and curled into a ball, holding her head in her hands and biting back tears of fright. "Careful. They're not too happy with us right now. Minato's holding them until we can find another exit, but who knows how long he can keep it going. These guys are vicious, they just seem to keep coming. Oh, and try not to use any chakra. They must have detectors or something. It's been a pain trying to shake them. Believe it or not, we're trying to be inconspicuous." The redhead nodded her understanding and the medic released her. Ryou brought his fingers to his lips and whistled. There was a short pause in the fighting, and a figure slammed through the door, breathing heavily.

Kushina had to bite her lip, whether form worry or laughter, she couldn't decide. An old man leaned against the wall, holding a hand to his side as he panted. Where Debiru and the Hokage and aged gracefully, this man seemed to be slowing rotting away. His skin was pale and thin with huge blotches. His frail bones seemed accented even with the heavy brown cloak thrown over his shoulders. Why Minato had chosen this man to impersonate, Kushina couldn't imagine. Ryou's disguise wasn't the most attractive thing she had ever seen, but at least he didn't look like he was dying.

That's when her attention was brought to her friend's distress. He clutched at his side, but he couldn't stunt the growth of the red staining blooming over his cloak. Numerous cuts ran over his frail body, each deep enough to draw blood. He seemed to be favoring his left leg and arm, making sure not to put much stress on them. The thing that scared her the most though was the ragged and short gasps he was making. Over the last few months she had known him, she had never seen him this out of breath.

"Minato? Gods! What happened? Are you alright?" The old man turned to her and starred at her for a second, his eyes unfocused and confused. He blinked and recognition spread across his face.

"Kushina!" A smile pulled at his lips but quickly turned into a wince as a stab of pain raced a through him. "Ah! I'll... I'll be fine. Don't worry about me. How about you? Are you alright?" The redhead opened her mouth to answer, but was cut off as the other boy grunted.

"Sorry to break up the lovely reunion, but I highly doubt we have time for that." The brunette had his back pressed against the door, rocking back and forth as the people on the outside pounded on it.. "These guys just don't know how to give up. What did you do Namikaze? Insult their mothers or something?" Minato ignored him and dug in his pouch.

"Here put these on the door, they should hold them off long enough for us to come up with a plan." He held out a shaky, blood covered hand and passed some tags to his friend. The medic took them gratefully and slapped them on the door. The pounding stopped instantly and Ryou stood back to appreciate his handiwork.

"I've got to hand it to you Minato. You're seals are next to none. How long do we have?" Minato closed his eyes and took a shaky breath.

"About ten minutes. We need to hurry though. We can't risk another fight with them." He settled himself down on the ground, back supported but he wall. Taking a deep breath, he leaned his head against the wall, glaring at the ceiling. "I think we can drop the disguises now. They now we're here anyway." The medic nodded and pealed a piece of paper off his forehead. The scruffy visage flickered and died, leaving the brunette in its wake. Minato soon followed and chuckled at the surprised look from the two girls. "It's just a simple seal that has the disguise melded into it. When you activate it, the image of the person covers yours. It's kind of like wearing a full-body suit of that person."

Kushina nodded in understanding and watched as Ryou knelt down by the blond teen. Taking bandages from his pack, he ripped off a part of Minato's sleeve to see the wound underneath. "Sorry, but this is as much as we can do until we're out of here. Like you said, the last thing we need is for them to have our chakra signatures. Can you make it out?"

Minato tried to grin, but it ended up looking more like a wince than anything else. "I'll be fine. Just a few scratches." The redhead looked skeptically as the wound Ryou was bandaging gushed blood.

"Right, scratches. You idiot! What were you thinking pulling something like this when you're hurt?" The blond just smiled sheepishly and rubbed the back of his neck. There was sudden boom as someone on the outside threw themselves at the wood. Aiko jumped and scrambled over to hide behind Kushina. The redhead looked at the girl in surprise than grinned. "Hey? What if someone from inside this place healed you? Would that be alright?" Ryou turned to face her, his expression clearing questioning her sanity. Minato just frowned and waited for her to continue.

"What are you nuts Red? Sure, I guess expect for one small detail. Do you honestly think any medic in this hell would willingly help us?" Kushina made a face, but managed to bite back the retort. Now wasn't the time to be fighting amongst themselves. There were plenty of people waiting to do that right outside the door.

"If you would let me finish, I would be able to tell you that Aiko here is a medic." Ryou blinked and looked at the little girl cowering behind his friend. Kushina put her hand on the girl's shoulder and made her look up. "Aiko, I'm sorry to ask so much of you, but can you heal my friend ?" The little girl sniffled and looked hesitantly at the elder blond. Minato smiled encouragingly at the young girl. Nodding, Aiko moved out from behind her hiding spot by Kushina and kneeled by the boys. Her hands were engulfed by silver chakra, and the wounds in Minato's side began to close.

It wasn't long before the more serious of his wounds were healed. Aiko sighed and slumped to the side. Using his superhuman reflexes, Minato reached out and caught her. "I'm sorry I can't do any more. I've used all of my chakra." Minato smiled thankfully down at the girl, moving her hair out of her face soothingly.

"No, you did great. Thank you." The little girl smiled and leaned into his touch.

"Can you still lead us out of here Aiko," Kushina asked as Minato passed the girl to her. Ryou took over and wrapped the rest of the groups injuries. The blond girl nodded and slowly pushed herself up, swaying on her feet.

"Yes Miss Kushina." Ryou tried ro hide his laughter, earning him a glare from the redhead. "Don't ... don't worry about me. I'll be alright." Kushina glanced worriedly at her self- proclaimed charge, watching for any weakness. "When I first came here, I found a... a lot of secret hideouts no one else knows about. There's one right outside this room." The three shinobi shared a look and Ryou sighed, gigging through his pouch.

"I have a few more smoke bombs left. If we time it right, we might be able to make it." Kushina nodded and offered her back to Aiko.

"Well right now that's the only plan we have. We might as well try it. We don't have much of a choice anyway." The blond girl hesitantly climbed onto her elder's back and wrapped her small arms around her neck. "Lets go." Ryou helped Minato to his feet and held the round pellets in his hand.

"Get ready. I don't know how long the cover will last." Filing by the door, Kushina counted down, ripping the door open. Shouts overwhelmed her ears and the sound of weapons scraping against each other sent a flow of adrenaline into her system. With a grunt, Ryou threw the five bombs out into the crowd of Stone-nin. They exploded and the hallway was filled with thick fog. The four rushed out, bumping into guards as they sprinted through the cloud. Aiko pointed to the opposite wall and they skidded to a halt next to it.

The little girl crept over to the wall and ran her tiny fingers over the rough stone. Finding what she was looking for, she counted up the bricks and pressed one. The wall, instantly fell aside, sliding into the other stones.

The three teenagers gaped openly at the sight as the little girl turned around and smiled proudly at them. Kushina walked over to the opening and felt damp air rush past her face. Ryou and Minato wobbled up behind her, Minato favoring his left side. "Lead the way Aiko." The girl nodded and walked into the dark. Ryou just shook his head and sighed.

"We come to save you and end up relaying on the enemy's kid for help. This is some crazy shit. Remind me to never go on another mission with you Red."

* * *

The tunnel was pitch black, twisting on into the inky blackness. Kushina gently led her fingers over the hard rock, making sure to stretch her senses to follow Aiko and watch for anything that might pose a threat. Minato and Ryou followed behind, the blond leaning on the brunette, breathing heavily. The girl shivered as the cold penetrated through her ripped clothing and seeped into her bones. Water dripped down from the ceiling and collected on the uneven ground. Kushina had stepped ina puddle to many times for her liking.

"How much longer Aiko," she whispered. She felt the youth stop and turn to face her, whatever good that did.

"I'm not sure Miss Kushina. I've never been down this far before. I usually stop a few minutes back." The redhead fought the urge to curse and elbowed Ryou in the stomach before he could insult their guide. "I'm so... sorry. Please do not be... be mad at me! But if we had gotten out at the other opening, we would have been found for sure. Your friend can't survive another fight. He's too badly wounded." Kushina sighed and leaned against the wall. The girl made sense.

"So what do we do Minato? You're the leader of this operation after all." The boy didn't seem to hear her, not making a sound. About to yell at him for ignoring her, he shuffled up to her, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"We go on. There's no use doing something we know we'll get caught doing. Might as well try this way. If it doesn't work, we can always backtrack." Ryou moved beside him and chuckled. Kushina nodded, even though noone could see in the dark. "Aiko? Thank you for bringing us this far. Please, if you don't mind, can you get us out of here?"

"Of course. I'll do anything to help you Miss Kushina." The sound of little feet scampering down the tunnel resounded off the stone walls. Grabbing Minato's hand, Kushina looped his arm around her shoulders and let him lean on her as they continued down the hall. It wasn't long before the darkness began to lift and outlines became visible. Kushina could feel the chakra signatures of the guards running around somewhere above them, and winced whenever someone stumbled on the uneven path.

Minato was dragging his feet more as the journey drove on. Most to her horror, the redhead could feel something wet clinging to her clothes were his body touched hers. He must have been near death when Aiko had healed him for him to still be so bad. Ryou was suspiciously silent, watching their backs like a hawk.

"Miss Kushina! I found the exit!" Despite the seriousness of the situation, Kushina felt a grin pulling at her lips. Minato straightened at the exclamation and Ryou squeezed her hand. The teens could see the crack in between the rocks just big enough for a person to squeeze through. Aiko pulled insistently on the older girl's hand, leading her toward the opening.

Making sure Minato could handle himself, the group slipped between the rocks. Kushina could feel warm air wafting through the crack and light spilled from the other side like a fire. Feeling around for anyone in the room they were about to enter, the redhead motioned for Aiko to go ahead, soon following behind. The hum of machinery and an eerie green light greeted them as they stepped from the crack.

Aiko stopped in her tracks and froze, gaping at the room's contents. Kushina couldn't blame her when a shriek of terror ripped from the girl's throat.

* * *

I'll break the habit of having cliffhangers. I promise! I'll start right after the next chapter.

Mwhahahahahahaha!


	13. Truths

I'm sorry! I swear this will be the last cliffhanger in this fic unless my brain turns against me. Haha! Not long until the end. I'm guessing another 2 to 3 chapters max. Yeah! Then I can say I've officially finished a fic, which has never happened. Not much to say about this chapter. It's short. No matter what I did it stayed like that and I got sick of trying to fight it. Soooooo, here you go. I hope you enjoy.

Naruto doesn't belong to me.

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Chapter 13: Truths

Ryou jumped forward and clamped a hand over the girl's mouth, cutting off the ear-shattering shriek. "Shhh! You can't make any noise. You don't want us to get caught do you?" The girl shook her head as much as the brunette's hand would allow, btu couldn't stop the whimper. Nodding in understanding, Ryou released her and turned her away from the room. "Just don't look okay? That's a girl." Even as he spoke, his face turned an ominous shade of green. Kushina felt hatred bubble up inside her chest and she couldn't stop herself from slamming a fist against the wall. Minato jumped slightly at the sound.

The room was dark, filled with only a soft green glow that cast deep shadows across the room and into the corners. Machines and screens lined one of the walls and examination tables lined the other. Ten tanks stood in the middle. They were filled with a luminescent green liquid. Small tubes at the top pumped more of the liquid and another unidentified substance into the tanks. It wasn't the sci-fi setting that had scared the blond girl though.

It was the bodies.

Inside the tanks, small, shriveled human-like creatures floated in the goo. There forms were tangled in amass of wires and tubes. On several of the examination tables, carcases in several stages of decay and mutilation were laid out for all to see. Their chests had been torn open, revealing the white bones of their ribs and organs.

Kushina felt her stomach flip and turned just in time to save everyone from revisiting her pathetic lunch. Wiping her mouth after her stomach stopped heaving, she glanced up at the others. Aiko had tears in her eyes, pupils dilated and filled with terror. Ryou looked to be fighting the urge to empty his stomach as he stopped the young girl from screaming. Minato stood where she had left him, staring at the figures with disgust, pity, and anger.

"What the hell are those things," Ryou chocked out. Minato shook his head, limping over to nearest container. "What are you doing? Don't touch it!" The blond teen put his hand against the glass, palm creating condensation on the cool material. The creature inside turned to face him, and stared at him with wild human eyes. It was humanoid, but covered with dark brown fur to match its long hair. Fingernails were long and sharp, as were the teeth. It's spine ,so close under the ski that the vertebrae were visible, had elongated and broken through the tail bone, creating a boney tail. Stumps of flesh and bone protruded from it shoulder blades, skin molted and raw. Seeing Minato, it wriggled in its tube and threw itself against the side of the glass, hoping to attack the blond.

Kushina walked up to him, and looked at the monster. Unlike the monster the Hideki had become, it seemed to be more of a mix of human and animal than a human turned into a creature. She could still see the human intelligence and emotions in the figure's eyes. There was one thing that caught her eye though. "They're kids. They can't be more than ten years-old." Minato turned to face her, eyes wide in shock.

"What?" The redhead shook her head and stumbled backward, trying to tear her eyes off the deformed children's bodies.

"Jun has been experimenting with humans. I don't the details, but I saw them. That was what that monster in the forest was. And Hideki... Hideki..." She bit her lip to keep the tears from flowing. All the last weeks' emotional and physical demands finally caught up with her. Collapsing, she pounded on the ground. "Damn it! Damn him! Damn this entire fucking country!"

Ryou rushed over to her and placed his hands on her shoulder, kneeling in front of her. "Red? C'mon Red. Pull yourself together. What happened? What about Hideki?"

"He's dead. I killed him. They turned him into a monster. He was going to kill me. I couldn't do anything to help him. I killed him."

"Which is probably the best thing. He wouldn't have wanted to live like that. You did what you had to." The two looked up at Minato. His eyes were distant as he looked at the room. The kunoichi felt a wry smile pull at her lips. Leave it to Minato to be the one to make sense out of any situation. Swallowing the tears, she nodded and stood up, Ryou watching her carefully. "So Jun's been doing human experiments?"

"I don't know why, but he is. There's a whole room of them beneath this house."

"Well, there's only one way to find out." Ryou got to his feet and walked over to one of the machines. "There might be something in here. They have to write down something at least." He quickly typed something into the machine and read whatever was on the screen. Minato joined him.

Kushina felt a tug on her hand and looked down to see Aiko. Kneeling down, she forced a smile to appear on her face. "What's the matter?"

"Are you alright Miss Kushina?" The smile vanished from her face and she met the girl's eyes.

"Why do ask?" The dirty-blond reached up and ran a tiny finger over the teen's cheek. A droplet of water clung to the digit. A tear. The redhead chuckled and patted her charge on the shoulder. "I'll be fine Aiko. Don't worry about me okay?" The little girl made a face that clearly told her that the girl didn't believe her, but dropped the subject anyway.

"Got it!"The two girls turned to look at the brunette. Ryou's eyes skimmed over the page he had brought up, his face growing an ugly red and green the longer he stared at the screen. "That bastard! That fucking bastard!" With that declaration, Ryou finally emptied his stomach, his face flushed and covered by a film of sweat. Rubbing the brunette's back to provide whatever comfort he could, Minato leaned over and read what his friend had seen.

"It's like you said. Jun's been experimenting on humans, adding animal DNA to their bodies. He's trying to get some kind of 'super warrior'." Minato grew pale as pictures showed up on the screen. "This has been has been going for a few years now. He was using condemned criminals for the experiments, but he ran out." Anger laced his tone as he said the last part. He cursed and Kushina felt a bead of sweat trail down her temple. She had only heard the blond curse once before and that time hadn't been during the bets situation. It took a lot to piss off the Yellow Flash. Whatever it was, wasn't good.

Finally the suspense got the better of her and she frowned. "What?"

"Jun proposed this war to the Kage just to get more 'supplies' for his experiments. He's been using prisoners as guinea pigs. That's why we've never been able to get them back." The blond turned back to the screen and quickly read through it, his face getting paler by the second. "He's moved on though. Just mixing humans and animals isn't enough now. He found another way to reach his goal."

"Which is?"

"The idiot is trying to make the perfect Jinchuuriki, the perfect combination between demon and human." Ryou stood up, wiping his mouth of the bile on his lips. "Using these experiments, he thinks he found the way to create one where the demon's power is totally controlled by the host, but the host can not be taken over by the demon. Its ridiculous! The way he's suggesting will only kill the host. That much power will make a person mad! That's why Jinchuuriki are feared and hated! You can't trust them, and definitely can't control them." Kushina felt her heart stop. Her entire village had been destroyed just so this monster could play with his little experiments? Her temper flared, but something nudged at the back of her mind. Both of the boys were avoiding her eyes, looking anywhere but her. Her frown deepened. They weren't telling her everything.

"What else?" Ryou shuffled self-consciously, rubbing the back of his neck. Minato finally met her eyes and stared at her, brilliant blue met dark green, pleading for her to reconsider. "What are you not telling me Minato?" The blond closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

"It wasn't a group of rogues. The attack on Whirlpool was planned." Kushina was sure her heart stopped. No. It couldn't be true. If it was, it meant that Debiru was... that this whole mission was... Grinding her teeth together, the redhead willed herself not to scream. No! Debiru could have been lied too. He might not have been involved. They had killed him after all. She needed to believe that she hadn't been lied to this entire time and there was no way she wanted to believe Jun.

"Kushina. There's more." Ryou shot a glare at the blond, but Minato just returned it. "She deserves to know."

"Can't it wait until later, when we don't need to worry about getting caught?"

"No! I want to hear it now." Ryou glanced at her, concern evident in his gaze. Minato just took another deep breath and nodded.

"They were looking for someone. There was a prophecy about a possible Jinchuuriki. 'The child of fire and water will..."

"'The child of fire and water will be born during disaster. They will conquer the ultimate beast and gain immense power. Peace will be brought to the war-torn nations and they will be united under one name. The child of fire and water will be the greatest warrior and the great whirlpool will become legend.'" The trio turned to stare at Aiko. The girl fiddled her fingers and stared at the floor.

"Aiko? What do you..."

"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to hurt anyone! I can't help it! I'm sorry! No matter what I do, it won't go away! They won't leave me alone, no matter how much I ask. I'm sorry! I'm sorry! Please don't hate me! Please don't! Don't let them hurt me! Please help me! I'm sorry! I didn't mean to! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" A sob tore from the girl's throat and she collapsed. Kushina rushed forward, the protective instinct taking over her.

"What's wrong Aiko? You didn't do anything. What happened? How'd you know the prophecy?" The girl just continued to cry. Her thin arms wrapped around the redhead's waist and buried her face into the teen's lap, mumbling an apology over and over again.

"She's prophetic." The wonder and amazement were obvious in Minato's tone. Ryou just quirked a brown eyebrow at him.

"She's what?"

"Prophetic. She can see the future. There' a report on her in the file." Minato motioned toward the screen where a picture of the dirty-blond was posted. "Jun heard rumors about her and took her in. Not long before the attack on Whirlpool either." All eyes turned to the sobbing child.

"Please don't hate me! I'm not a freak! I'll be good. I promise. Don't hate me!" The redhead lightly patted the girl on the back. "Master Jun told me not to tell anyone because they'd hate me like the people at home did! Please don't hate me! I've been good! I'm taking lessons to stop it! Master Jun promised I'd be normal! Please don't be mad Miss Kushina!"

"We're not mad at you Aiko. It's all that bastard's fault. He's the one who's been doing this. He's playing with people's lives." She looked up at the boys and frowned. "I don't get it though. Why wasn't I one of his freaky experiments? Why was he teaching me? What does that prophecy have to do with Whirlpool?"

"The thing I can think of is that he thinks 'fire' is Konoha and 'water' is Whirlpool. The 'ultimate beast' must be a the demon he wants to use for his Jinchuuriki. Thank about it. It would have to be someone from both of villages and the 'great whirlpool' can be translated into Uzumaki. He must think you're the person depicted in the prophecy."

"Hell no! So not only did they planned this entire war and killed thousands of people just so that just so they could run their little experiments! They destroyed and killed my entire village just so they could get to me! " Silence met her exclamation as the three other people in the room looked at her. "I'll kill them! I'll make sure Jun and his rats pay for what they did!" Jumping up form her spot on the floor, Kushina marched over to the door.

"Red! Red! Stop!" Ryou rushed in front of her blocking the door with his arms spread out. "What do you think you're doing? You'll get yourself killed if you take him on by yourself." The redhead pounded on his chest, emotions fueling her actions.

"I don't care! I'm going to kill that bastard if it's that last thing I do!" When the brunette refused to moved, she back up and glared at him, continuing to pound on his chest. "Let me out! I have to kill him!" Catching her wrist in his hand, he tried to calm her down.

"Red listen to me! There's something else you need to hear." Arms wrapped around her waist, and tried to pull her off the medic, but Minato barely had enough energy to stand much less fight off an angry redhead.

"Kushina! Calm down!"

"They're not dead!" The redhead froze and stared at the man before her.

"Wh... what?"

"They're not dead! Not all of them at least. Some of them escaped! Jun's trying to find them as we speak incase they missed another Uzuamki." Kushina couldn't stop her mouth from hanging open. She tried to from words, but her throat seemed to not be working. "You can still find them Red. There's still a chance. Kushina, I..." Minato tensed and pulled the stunned Kushina away as fast as he could. Rolling so that he took the brunt of the fall, Kushina was allowed full view of the sight enfolding in front of her. The hinges of the door squeaked as the metal slab opened and steel flashed in the dim light. Ryou turned and tried to dodge.

"No!"

Warm blood splattered across her face as she gaped.


	14. Finishing Blow

Hello. It's been a while. Anyway, this chapter didn't end up how I imagined it would. So tell me what you think. I'm just way to tired to even try and reread it or rewrite it right now. So the story is coming to a close. Next chapter will be the last. I will have a summary of the next 2nd part fo the trilogy at the end.

I don't own Naruto.

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Chapter 14:

Finishing Blow

Her world had stopped, reality leaving her in its tracks. Her skin no longer shivered from the cold permeating from the metal walls, and the scrapes and bruises covering her body no longer hurt. The hum of the machines had disappeared and was replaced with the frantic beating of her heart. Her body refused to move, frozen in it's spot in Minato's protective grasp. Her eyes seemed to only focus on the red liquid slowly dripping to the floor.

Clothed in dark robes, Jun seemed like an apparition coming out of the shadows. Beneath the robes, he wore a thick leather armor. Around his waist, one sword was strapped to his belt, the second held in his hand. Ryou crouched on the floor, hand covering a growing spot on his shirt. His light-colored chakra covered his fingers as he stopped the bleeding, all thoughts of secrecy gone. Amber eyes were hard and calculating as the medic glared at the crazed Stone-nin.

"Well, well. It seems I finally found the troublesome intruders. You're friends are almost as aggravating as you are Love. They have caused quite a bit of confusion in my house. And to top it off, I find out you have whisked away my little fortune teller while you were at it. I must congratulate you all on surviving for this long and causing this much trouble. I never would have believed such a small group of children were capable of it." Jun smiled at Kushina, but it had lost its charm. Instead of the soothing, debonair aura that had originally covered the smile, a dark, menacing air surrounded the man, promising pain and death. The smooth politician had ben taken over by the devil.

Snapping out of her trance, the redhead glared at the Stone leader and struggled against Minato's iron grip. "Stop it Kushina. Now's not the time." His breath was hot on her neck as he whispered in her ear.

Jun just smirked at her attempts. "I would listen to your friend's advice if I were you Love. We both know you have no hope of defeating me. Now be a good girl and surrender. If you cooperate, I'll make sure your friends' deaths are relatively painless."

"Like hell you will, you wacked-out bastard with a god-complex!" Jun chuckled, the sound sending shivers down the redhead's spine. Even Aiko backed away from her adoptive-father in fear.

"God-complex? You are mistaken Love. When my work is done, I will be greater than the gods! I will control the entire universe with you by my side. Together we will be unstoppable. Think about it. I'm offering you limitless power and fame. You will be the greatest kunoichi this world has ever seen. With my military genius, your power, and the brat's abilities, no one will be able to defeat us. You heard the prophecy! I'm giving you one last chance Love. Join me and be eternal, or stay with your pathetic friends and watch them die . The choice is yours."

"Not much of choice if you ask me." All eyes turned toward the brunette as he stood up. Jun scoffed and pointed his sword at the medic.

"I don't believe I asked for the opinion of a dead man. Stay down if you know what's good for you." Ryou chuckled and smirked.

"You know, I've never been considered the smart one of the group. Why start now?"

"Ryou! Don't'!"

The brunette pulled a pair of kunai from the pouch on his hip and charged at the tall swordsman. Metal chinked as Jun showed his expertise with a sword as he blocked the kunai thrown at him. Using the opening, Ryou's image flickered and reappeared within Jun's defense. With his remaining kunai, he struck out at the tall man's side.

Faster than his size inferred, Jun twisted out of range and brought his sword toward the medic in a blur of motion. Ryou flipped backward but still managed to get a line of red across his cheek. Holding the kunai horizontally in front of him, he reached into his pouch and brought out another kunai, this one with an explosive tag tied to it. The brunette tossed it at his opponent and the room shook with the force of the explosion. Aiko gasped in surprise and Minato tightened his grasp around her waist.

Cough as the smoke irritated her lungs, Kushina blinked to try and clear her vision. The dark cloud obscured the two opponents from view. The harsh clash of metal against metal and grunts were the only sign of a fight. Kushina wriggled in the blond's arms, yearning to help the brunette. "Let me go! Ryou needs help." Minato didn't answer but his arms turned to iron bands around her. He really was amazing. Even as injured as he was, he still had more strength than her. There was a cry of pain and her struggles became more frantic. "Minato!"

"Believe in him Kushina. Ryou's not an idiot." The sensible voice made her pause for a second. She felt the man turn to face the young girl behind them. "Aiko. Go hide in the passageway. We'll meet you when we can."

"But.... but... Miss Kushina."

"Listen to him Aiko. We'll catch up okay?" Despite the situation, the redhead shot a confidant smile back at the little medic. The child nodded and scurried to the crack in the wall, disappearing into the darkness. "Minato." The man shifted behind her and she knew she had his attention though he was still peering into the smoke. There was a loud thump as something hit the ground."I need to help Ryou" Maybe it was the calmness and authority in her voice or Minato had finally run out of energy, but the strong arms withdrew from around her.

Ignoring the old wounds that itched as she jumped to her feet, the kunoichi tightened her grip on her stolen sword and charged into the dissipating smoke. The hazy shadows of the two men were easily found. Ryou had acquired a few more scratches and bruises, but nothing that seemed life-threatening. Jun, on the other hand, seemed as calm and prim. Not a hair seemed out of place.

The medic had a shuriken in between his fingers and was crouched a few feet from his opponent. Swinging the sword horizontally across her chest, Kushina threw herself at the tall man. Hearing her coming, the Stone-nin ducked beneath the attack and punched out at her side. Using the distraction, Ryou threw the shuriken. The star-shaped weapon sliced through clothing, but missed its target.

Using her free hand, Kushina grabbed the incoming fist and used it as a springboard. Her foot skimmed across Jun's cheek as he quickly twisted out of the way. Ryou flashed up behind him and aimed a kick at the man's kneecap. Ripping the second sword from its sheath, the tall man plunged the blade into the brunette's calf. The medic yelped in pain and collapsed on the ground. "Ryou!" Glaring at Jun, the redhead built up her chakra.

"That's it! I'm done playing." her hands flew through signs memorized long ago. "Shadow Clone Jutsu!" Three clones popped into existence and quickly surrounded the Stone-nin. With a collective battle cry, the four Kushinas charged at the man, swords glinting in the green light. Pivoting on his heel, Jun cut through two of the clones and drew a ragged line along the original's arm. There were two pops as the destroyed clones vanished.

The remaining clone slashed at Jun as the real Kushina kicked out at his head. Blood flew through the air as the clone's blade sunk into its opponent's side. With a flick of his wrist, the tall man quick disposed of the clone and blocked the incoming kick with his forearm. A second later a kunai lodged itself in his calf. With a grunt, Jun punched Kushina in the chest and sent her flying into the wall with a crack.

Growling, he glared at the wounded medic. Ryou grinned and waved at the man. "Not feeling so high and mighty now are ya?"

"On the contrary, I'm sorely disappointed if this the best you can do. Even the girl got a better hit in than you did brat. I'm tired of this. Now just die like the dog you are." Tightening his grip on his swords, Jun swung at the brunette.

"Wind Blade Jutsu!" The air in the room suddenly picked up and directed toward the Stone-nin.

"What!" The dark-haired man turned at the voice and the wind hit him full force, a deep gouge forming in his chest. He cried out in pain and stumbled backward as the wind died down. Ryou grinned and looked over at Minato. The blond leaned precariously against the wall, hand extended toward Jun. His skin was pale and he was covered in sweat, but a small smile pulled at his lips.

"Took you long enough. I was wondering when you were going to finally join in." The blond frowned at the medic before returning his gaze to their opponent. Jun kneeled on the ground, weight supported by one of his swords. His grey eyes were glazed with pain and hatred.

"Don't get so cocky. There's no way I'll die from such an insignificant scratch. Pushing himself to his feet, Jun sneered at the two boys. "You won't be leaving here alive."

"Don't bet on that." Kushina jumped at the Stone-nin, sword flashing as it arched through the air. Blood stained her hair and flattened it to her head, but her green eyes were alight with fire. Jun caught the attack with his blade and twisted it around hers, yanking the weapon from her hands. In an instant he wrapped his arm around her neck and pulled her body to his, sword held at her neck.

"You should know by now Love. I don't bet. I only move when I know my victory is assured." Kushina tried not to gag as his warm breath rolled over her. Jun smirked at the two boys, pulling the redhead's body flush against his. "Give up, or I'll make sure she doesn't get out of this with all her limbs attached. My scientists can sew on a few limbs when I get my ultimate weapon. I just need her alive, nothing more."

"I'm not going to be used as bait you bastard!" Grabbing the arm at her neck, she kicked out at her captor's shin and elbowed his torso, blood squelching from his wound. With a grunt, the man released her. Taking the chance, Ryou flung a kunai at him, the weapon embedding itself in his chest. "You've lost bastard."

"I **will not** lose! I **will** have me ultimate weapon no matter how many people I have to kill to get it! I **will not** let three brats beat me!" The man let loose and enraged battle cry and charged at them. His eyes flashed in the dim light, all reason gone form the calculating eyes. His swings were erratic. A giggled bubbled up from Jun's throat as he attacked.

Kushina met his blades with her own and grunted as she was pushed back. Jun had traded all his strategy and grace for strength. The blows pounded on her and gashes appeared in her arms and torso. A cry escaped her lips as the tip of his blade flitted across her face, leaving a large gash on her cheek. Jun took the opportunity to push her to the ground, sword descending on her. "Kushina!"

Another coat of blood landed on her as she closed her eyes. Minato yelled something and there was grunt. A second latter something heavy landed on her chest. "Red? Red are you alright?" It took a moment to realize that she wasn't dead and someone was talking to her. Opening her eyes, she was met with Ryou's face a few inches from her own. A sigh of relief hissed through the brunette's lips as her eyes flicker open.

"Ryou? What are you doing? Get up!" The medic chuckled and shook his head. The sounds of fighting could be heard but Ryou's body was blocking it from her sight. Ryou pushed himself into a kneeling position and Kushina felt her heart stop.

Minato was fighting with Jun, kunai and jutsus flying at the tall man with a speed that only the Yellow Flash could accomplish. The stain on the blond's side grew as he dodged attacks and counter-attacked. Jun was struggling with his own injuries and had trouble blocking with only one sword.

The second sword was embedded in Ryou's back. It was then that she noticed the warmness on her stomach. Blood covered her torso and the floor beneath, more blood than a person should have in their body. "Ryou! Oh gods! Ryou!" Her hands instantly went to his chest to try and stop the bleeding. His hand caught hers, slippery with the red liquid.

"Go help Minato. I'll be fine. Don't worry." His smile wavered as he rolled off her. "This is nothing. Minato needs help now." A grunt of pain accented his words.

"Are you insane? You're..."

"Kushina! Go! You're not trained in medicine. You can't help me, but you can help Minato. Now Go!" Biting her lip, the kunoichi nodded and picked up her fallen sword. With a cry, she charged at Jun. The man was about to gouge Minato when she collided with them. Jun parried her attack and screamed in pain as Minato thrust a kunai into his side. He swiped at the blond and Kushina cut a large gash on his wrist.

Animalistic eyes turned to her and a fist connected with her temple. The blade cut across her chest and she felt the warm liquid flood down her chest. "Kushina!" Minato caught her before she could fall and supported her in his arm as he jumped backward to avoid a swipe at his neck. Jun giggled again as blood rolled over his fingers as it dripped from the sword in his hand.

Groaning, the redhead wobbled on her feet and parried the next attack. Minato, still supporting her, pivoted on his heel and knocked Jun's legs out from beneath him. Rolling backward, the tall man escaped her downward thrust. Jumping to his feet he grinned and held the sword out in front of him with a feral snarl. Minato dug in his pouch and pulled out a three-pronged kunai. Tossing it at the man, the blond disappeared. Blood dripped from a wound in Jun's neck the next second.

Howling in pain and anger, the insane man swung back with his arm. The Yellow Flash was able to avoid the first few blows. Furious, the Stone-nin devoted his entire being to attacking the blond. He grinned as he smashed his elbow into Minato's nose. There was a crack and the boy fell back with a grunt. Jun turned his hungry eyes toward her and charged.

Their sword met with a clang and Kushina felt her arms threaten to give out under the pressure. Sliding out from under the blade, she aimed at kick at his wounded calf, but was forced to flip out of the arch of another swing. A large fist slammed into her stomach and the air rushed from her lungs. Blood collected around Jun's ankles from his wounds, but he didn't show any sign of feeling the lethal gashes in his torso and neck.

Rolling out of reach, she slammed her hands together around the sword's hilt. "Water Needle Jutsu!" The water in the humid air collected into deadly projectiles and flew at the man with a flick of the redhead's wrist. They pierced the tall man's skin with little spurts of blood. Charging at the injured Stone-nin, she swung her sword with as much power as her injuries allowed. The blade sunk deep into flesh and blood dribbled down her hands.

"Ah!" Jun giggled as his blade thrust into her injured shoulder.

"I won't lose. You'll die. You'll die. You'll all die. I will win and rule the world!" Jun let lose a peal of laughter. His laughter was cut short as blood trickled from his mouth and he collapsed. The sword was yanked from her hands as the man slunk to the ground, blood puddling around his corpse.

"That's what you get for messing with me you bastard." Her legs gave out on her and she fell against a broad chest.

"Kushina? You alright? Can you stand?" Minato's voice broke her out of her stupor and fear raced through her body. She yanked herself out of the blond's grip and stumbled over to where she had left Ryou.

"Ryou! Ryou! Ryou, answer me!" The redhead dropped to her knees beside the still body and gently shook her friend's shoulder. "Ryou?" The brunette groaned and his amber eyes flickered open.

"Give me a few minutes. I'm tired."

"We don't have a few minutes. You have to get up now! You can't go to sleep. You'll...." Her voice cracked and Ryou's eyes blearily focused on her. He brought a hand up to cup her face and he chuckled.

"What did I tell you about not getting hurt Red? You really are a magnet for trouble you know. You're lucky Minato and I were here, or else it would have ben total mayhem right?" His hand traveled down to her wounded shoulder and his warm chakra flooded into her body. She pulled herself away from his touch.

"Idiot! What are you doing? Heal yourself! We need to get out of here. We need to go home!"

"You're right. You need to go home."

"Bastard! We're not leaving without you. So don't you dare think about...."

"It's too late Red. I've lost to much blood and don't have enough chakra to heal this wound." A weak smile crossed his features. "At least your alright. That would really suck if both of us were like this." The brunette chuckled and a trail of blood dribbled from his lips.

"Why did you do that? You said you'd be fine! You lied to me!" The smile disappeared and Ryou gently squeezed her hand. "Why?"

"I told you I didn't want to have to sew you back up again. I promised myself I wouldn't let you get hurt. Trying to heal me wouldn't have done anything to help you two. This is my fault. There's nothing you can do for me now Red except get out of here." His eyes moved to somewhere over her shoulder. "Make sure you guys get out of here okay?"

"I promise." Ryou seemed pleased with Minato's answer and turned back to the redhead.

"Now you. Promise me you'll find the rest of village. We're going to need as much strength as we can to get rid of these bastards." Kushina nodded. "Good. Take care of each other." A genuine smile pulled at his lips and he closed his eyes. A chuckle gurgled out of his throat and his chest stopped moving.

Tears streaked down her face as Kushina stared absently at the bloody corpse before her. "Kushina?" A warm hand was placed on her uninjured shoulder. "Come on. We've got to..."

"Freeze!" Both shinobi turned to face the speaker. Dressed in the traditional shinobi garb, three men stood before the entrance of the secret passageway with kunai ready. Aiko stood behind them, looking at the two corpses with fear.

"Miss Kushina!" The little girl ran over to the kunoichi and looked at her injuries with worry. "You're hurt! Let me help you." The soothing feeling of Aiko's chakra settled the redhead's nerves and she sighed.

"Namikaze? Uzumaki? What happened here?" The leader of the group stepped forward and the Konoha insignia seemed like a beacon.

"We don't have time to explain. We have to get out of here. Stone isn't safe for us anymore. We've been betrayed." When she was done healing Kushina's life-threatening wounds, Aiko moved on to Minato. "Why are you here?"

"We are the group sent with Konoha's diplomat. We hadn't heard anything from you so we suspected foul play. The Hokage ordered us to return to Konoha as soon as we found you. Is this it?" Minato nodded, his eyes glazed over. "We should hurry. We don't have much time until we're detected. There are a series of passageways that lead out of here. That's how we found you two."

One of the other shinobi quickly whispered into his headphone and motioned for the others to hurry. Before entering the passageway, Kushina turned to Aiko and held out her hand. "C'mon Aiko. Come with us. There's nothing left for you here. You can come live in our village. I promise no one will hurt you." The leader of the rescue group shot a questioning glance at Minaot who shrugged.

"She's with us. I'm sure the Hokage won't mind." The girl's face brightened up and she quickly trotted after Kushina into the passageway. Casting one more glance over her shoulder, Kushina sighed and walked into the darkness.

* * *

"When we crossed the border, we were attacked by Itsuki Jun and his men. Debiru was killed in the ambush and Kushina and Hideki were captured. Kushina managed to break out and discover Jun's plans. Hideki was killed in captivity. In our attempt to escape, we met Jun and he and Ryou were both killed in the ensuing fight. The girl, Aiko has helped Kushina and us several times."

Kushina tried not to hate Minato for the detached tone he was using as he quickly explained the last weeks events to the head of the rescue party. After escaping the capital, the Konoha group had met up with the rest of the rescue party in the forest. Their injuries had been treated and then the group had been traveling out of the forest. They hadn't run into any resistence yet.

The redhead jumped as something white flashed past the edge of her vision. Turning, she stared into the forest, trying to detect anything out of the ordinary. Nothing. She had been waiting to be attacked since they had left their prison. All the tension was finally getting to her.

"You alright?" Kushina turned to find Minato looking at her, concern evident in his clear blue eyes.

"Yeah. I guess I just can't accept that we're actually out. It doesn't feel right without Ry...." A comforting hand was placed on her arm and she was tugged into the blond's warm embrace.

"I know. I can't believe it either. There wasn't anything we could do though. We'll make sure to give him a proper funeral when we get back alright?" She nodded into his shoulder and returned the hug. "Don't worry. Everything's going to be okay. I promise."


	15. Farewells

Chapter 15: Farewells

Kushina fidgeted as the black mourning clothes pressed down on her shoulders. The light fabric felt as if it weighed a hundred pounds. Her shoulder throbbed as her fidgeting continued and she frowned at the image reflected int the small mirror.

It had been a little over a week since they had returned to Konoha. The large village had been abuzz as news of the supposedly diplomatic mission spread. Anger and hatred towards the Stone Country grew and the war efforts doubled. Minato had been helping out as much as he could, despite Tsunade's warnings about his health. With the Legendary Sennin's abilities, his injuries were, for the most part, healed, but the Yellow Flash still recovering from the worst of his redhead's hand massaged her throbbing shoulder. She could relate.

The amount of times her shoulder had been wounded during the mission was making it difficult for it to heal properly. The medics were already predicting that she would never have full mobility of it again. Tsunade had been trying her best, but it still didn't look promising. Pulling her hand away, Kushina poked at a rather large bruise on her face. Why was it that there nothing the medics could do to get rid of it? The number of bruises peppering her body had made it almost impossible to move the first few days.

"Miss Kushina. It... it's almost time to leave. Yo.... you do not want to be late." The small voice could barely be heard through the thick door. A smile pulled at the girl's lips. Aiko had been adapting to life in Konoha rather easily. The Hokage had welcomed her with open arms and Tsunade had taken her on as her apprentice once the girl's abilities were revealed.

"I'll be there in a second." Grabbing her new headband from the top of her drawer, she quickly tied it around her forehead. The konoha leaf stood out against the silver metal plate. It had been forever since she had worn the insignia.

Aiko met her as soon as she opened the door. The girl was also dressed in the traditional mourning clothes , her dirty-blond hair tied into a braid at the base of her neck. "You sure you want to go Aiko. You can stay here if you want."

"I'd rather... rather go with you Miss Kushina. If... if you don't mind." Her pale eyes glanced nervously up at her caretaker. Kushina smiled and ruffled the girl's hair.

"Of course I don't mind. We better leave now if we want to make it on time." The twelve year-old nodded and followed the redhead out of the house. The bright sun made Kushina blink as they left the apartment. Everything seemed bright, happy, perfect. It was ironic. The day they said to goodbye to the sun of Konoha was the brightest, clearest day of the year. She almost wished that it was raining. At least then she could use the weather as an excuse for her depressed attitude.

With Aiko still learning to use even the most basic ninja skills, the two girls were forced to walk to the grave sight. People looked at them as they passed, sending sympathetic glances their way. Kushina resisted the urge to pound them into the ground. She didn't need nor want their pity. Didn't they realize it would be easier to recover from this blow if they didn't keep reminding her of it?

Nevertheless, they managed to cross Konoha without anyone being attacked which the redhead took as a good sign. Maybe she could do this after all.

Minato met them outside the graveyard. His large hand gently squeezed her uninjured shoulder and her gave Aiko a quick hug before returning his concerned gaze to her. "Are you going to be okay? You don't have to do this. Everyone will understand."

"I'll be fine. Besides, I'm not doing this for them, I'm doing this for Ryou." The blond chuckled, though it didn't hold its usual merriment, and nodded.

"Alright. Then we should go." The trio walked over to the group of people congregated around the memorial, the Heroes' Stone. The group was larger than Kushina had expected. The ceremony was the same as always; people speak about how great Ryou was and how unfair it was that he died so young, tears are shed, memories shared, flowers placed, goodbyes said...

The entire time, Minato stayed by Kushina's side offering whatever comfort and support his presence could offer. Aiko listened attentively to the people around her, helping ease their sorrows the best she could. The whole ceremony passed by in a blur of colors and sounds. Several times, Kushina had tasted salty tears on her lips and not remember ever crying in the first place. Until the end, the sun shone down on the magnificent black stone. Hideki's name had been carved yesterday and shone as brightly as Ryou's own engraving.

"Kushina. It's time to go." Minato's soft, authoritive voice pulled her form her stupor. Blinking away the next batch of tears, the redhead nodded.

"Can you do me a favor?" The blond quirked an eyebrow at his companion but nodded. "Can you take Aiko home for me. I have something I need to do."

"Of course, but what..."

"I'll tell you later okay. Can you just do this for me?" The blond nodded and called the younger blond back. HE quickly explained the situation and the two left with a short goodbye.

With them gone, the redhead quickly disappeared. The village flickered by beneath her feet as her chakra fueled the body flicker jutsu. She only cut the flow when the huge building housing the Hokage's office towered above her. Once inside, it wasn't long until the Hokage granted her access into his office. The wise old man looked up as she entered and frowned.

"Miss Uzumaki! What are you doing here do late? You know I can't assign you a mission until Tsunade clears you." A smirked pulled at his lips and his grey eyes sparkled in amusement.

"Actually. I was hoping you could do something for me Lord Hokage."Kushina bowed at the waist in respect, praying he would accept. The village leader furrowed his eyebrows in confusion.

"Of course. But what could you possibly need me to do?" The redhead finally straightened met the man's eyes, her own green orbs filled with determination.

* * *

The night air was cool and permeated through the thick traveling cloak. Pulling the straps of her backpack, she shifted the bag higher on her back. Sighing, Kushina pulled the hood over her head, hiding her features.

"You sure about this Aiko?" The girl nodded and pulled her own backpack over her shoulder.

"I promised I would help you Miss Kushina. I'm... I'm not going to break that promise." Kushina felt a swell of affection course through her chest. This little girl had given up everything in her old life to help her, and she was doing it again. The determination in the little girl's voice convinced her that the blond didn't have nay doubts about this.

"Thanks." Sticking to the shadows, Kushina led her charge through the village, avoiding any of the more populated areas. "We have to hurry. If anyone sees us, it'll ruin everything." The two girls slipped through the streets without much trouble. Kushina made sure to cloak her chakra in case someone decided to check on her. The purpose of this mission was to make sure no one saw them.

Kushina let loose a sigh of relief when the wall surrounding the village appeared. If the Hokage kept his promise, there shouldn't be any guards for the next three minutes. They were home free. Taking off the bulking backpack and letting Aiko situate herself on her back, Kushina silently scaled the wall. Without a sound, they landed on the top in a crouch. "This is it Aiko. There' no turning back now."

"What are you doing?" Kushina twisted around at the voice and felt her stomach flip. Damn. They had been so close. Letting her companion slide off, Kushina stood and smiled.

"Just out for a walk. What are you doing here?" Minato sighed and folded his arms over his chest, frowning at his friend as if he was rebuking a child.

"You're not fooling anyone Kushina. You've bene acting strange ever since Ryou's funeral. Do you even understand what you're doing? You'll be considered a rogue. You'll be on every mercenary's list. Do you really want that?" When the redhead didn't answer, the man sighed in frustration and ran his fingers through his yellow hair. "Why are you doing this?"

"I promised him and I'm not about to break that promise. I can't just sit here. If people from my village survived I have to go find them. I promised Ryou I would. We both know that just because Jun is dead the attacks won't stop. Jun had half of Iwagakure under his thumb. I have to warn them. It's my fault. They were looking for me. I'm not going to let more innocent people die!" Blue met green as the two jounin stared at each other. Minato broke the staring contest as he sighed.

"Nothing I say is going to stop you is it?" When he didn't get an answer he smiled wryly. "I guess not. Just don't do anything stupid alright. I also made a promise to Ryou that I don't intend to break. If you're not back in two years I'm going to drag you back here myself. Understand?"

A grin split the redhead face and she crossed her arms over her chest. "We'll see if you can." Her laughter was cut off as strong arms wrapped around her.

"Be careful alright?" Nodding against his shoulder, Kushina returned the gesture. Releasing her, Minato moved over to Aiko. "Make sure she doesn't get in over her head. Someone has to make sure she doesn't end up getting herself killed." Aiko nodded and gave him a hesitant hug.

Taking Aiko's hand, Kushina nodded goodbye to the blond and hopped off the wall. Minato watched them as they raced into the surrounding forest and disappeared.

"I guess I shouldn't be surprised you're here Namikaze." The blond turned to face the Hokage. The man carefully balanced the pipe with his tongue as he smiled. "You seem to have a knack for knowing when she's up to something." The two men chuckled. "You don't have to worry about her though. She's tough. She won't go down so easily."

"Will you report her as a missing-nin?" The Hokage smiled wryly and shook his head.

"I knew what she was planning so technically, she isn't really 'missing' now is she?" The man chuckled and breathed in heavily from his pipe. "I did say I do something for her, though I don't think its really necessary now." The blond frowned and cocked his head to the side in confusion.

"What is?"

"She asked me to keep you from going to look for her. I even came up with the perfect plan so I'm going to use it anyway." A sly expression crossed the old man's face. "There's a boy in the academy that is progressing faster than we can believe. He will graduate from the academy in a few days. The problem is finding a teacher as talented as him." The Hokage turned to leave, glancing over his shoulder. "Be at the school at eight o'clock tomorrow. You are to pick up you're new student, Hatake Kakashi. All those D-ranked missions should keep you occupied for a while."

_**End**_

* * *

Let me just say thank you. If it wasn't fro you guys, I would never of had the motivation to finish this and it would be one of the many fics wasting away on my computer. Thank you for all your wonderful reviews and criticisms. I don't know when the next book will be out, but I'll work on ASAP. I still have to get more detailed outlines of the chapters before I start. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed it. Don't forget to review! Thank you.

**Summary of 'Fated'**

**It's been four years since Kushina and Aiko left Konoha. With the war beginning to **

**become more bloody by the day, Minato has been unable to find them. But when rumors of **

**a mysterious army stationed on the borders of the Fire Country reaches Konoha, Minato **

**is thrown into another mission that could decide the fate of the war and the world forever.**


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